


And Where It Stops, Nobody Knows

by Winter_S_Jameson



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: College, F/M, Humor, Post Series, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-09 12:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter_S_Jameson/pseuds/Winter_S_Jameson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gang is looking forward to the dance the IT Club, Danville University's fashion club, is throwing before midterms and winter break, especially since Phineas and Ferb have agreed to create a moving mistletoe game at Adyson's request. The night is supposed to celebrate the romance of the season, but what will that mean for the group of longtime friends?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _And welcome to my latest story. I got myself a Trope Bingo card around this time last year during the first round... and then failed to finish anything before the start of the second round. *sigh* But I'm determined to finish the card eventually, if only for pride's sake. And so, this story, inspired by my "mistletoe kiss" square. It's set in the future while the gang is in college._  
>     
>  _On with the show! Enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you think!_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“You are _not_ going to believe the idea I came up with tonight,” Adyson declared immediately after dramatically throwing open the front door of the house she shared with her friends.

“Maybe not, but I _do_ believe you’re going to freeze us to death if you don’t shut that door,” Buford griped from the overstuffed chair he was lounging in, his legs draped carelessly over one of the arms.

Adyson slammed the door and practically hopped over to the entertainment center on the left side of the room. “So do you want to hear my idea?” she asked eagerly.

Phineas paused the DVD that had been playing and gave his other friends an amused look. “Sure, Adyson, go ahead. We’re listening.”

The brunette rubbed her hands together. “The IT Club had a meeting tonight to discuss the Christmas dance we’re organizing to raise funds for our spring fashion show,” she began. “We were trying to decide on a theme. We did a winter wonderland theme last year, and wanted something different.”

“You guys did a super job of decking out Evans Gym,” Isabella told her.

“Thanks.” Adyson grinned at the praise. “It’s just too bad everything we were playing around with this time seemed to have something to do with snow. At least, until I came up with my brilliant idea.”

“You could just get to the point,” Buford grumbled. He gestured at the television, where the DVD player’s screen saver had kicked in. “There’s a movie we were hoping to get back to sometime tonight.”

Adyson sighed. “Fine, fine. We’re going with Mistletoe Madness!” Her grin was back, and she looked from friend to friend expectantly.

Said friends looked back and forth amongst themselves. “And what exactly does ‘Mistletoe Madness’ entail?” Baljeet asked with a hint of hesitancy from the recliner closest to the eager young woman.

“You have to admit, it’s not a name that gives the clearest vision of your theme concept,” Gretchen added, readjusting her position on the floor and leaning back against the couch behind her.

“And you people are supposed to have imaginations?” Adyson asked, deflating. “It’s like, seasonal romance. It’s supposed to invoke the passion of the holidays. Mistletoe, you know?”

“So it’s a couple’s dance?” Ginger asked, sitting on the floor next to Gretchen.

Adyson’s shoulders drooped. “No, not exactly. It’s supposed to be romantic, though. I even had an idea for a new spin on the whole kissing under the mistletoe tradition.”

Phineas leaned forward. “What were you thinking? What’s the new spin?”

She gave him a small smile. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that. I was going to ask if you and Ferb could come up with a way to make the mistletoe move around the room instead of staying in just one spot. That way people couldn’t just avoid it.”

“That sounds interesting,” Phineas said, looking at his brother to his left. “What do you think, Ferb?”

“To make it truly effective, I believe you’d have to have some rules in place. Perhaps even create a game of sorts for people to play along with. Otherwise the mistletoe is simply decoration that can be ignored.” The tall green-haired young man shrugged. “But the concept is an intriguing foundation.”

“A game, huh?” Phineas said thoughtfully. He frowned slightly in contemplation. “Yeah, we could do that. That could be fun. When’s the dance?”

Adyson smiled a little wider. “Three weeks from now, the Saturday before finals. I’m supposed to come up with a poster design by Friday so we can get them printed and posted over the weekend.”

Isabella smiled at her. “I can help you with that if you want. And I bet Ginger and Gretchen wouldn’t mind helping, either.” Both girls grinned and nodded.

Adyson laughed. “It’ll be like one of our old Fireside Girl fundraisers. I’ll even give Katie a call and see what she’s up to.”

“We’ll have it put together and ready in no time,” Ginger declared.

“Is the dance going to be in Evans Gym again this year?” Phineas asked.

Adyson nodded. “And we get all day that Saturday to decorate.”

Phineas smiled. “Perfect. I’ll get the specs for the space and draw something up. You guys’ll have a DJ, right?”

“All lined up. We managed to get the Raving Wildcats.”

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Buford said. “Those guys are the best around.”

“Definitely,” Gretchen agreed. “You’ll most certainly end up at full capacity!”

Adyson shrugged. “That’s the idea.”

Ginger patted the patch of floor next to her and in front of where Isabella was sitting on the couch to Phineas’ right. “Pull up some rug and watch the rest of the movie with us,” she offered. “We can work on the details after classes tomorrow.”

Adyson did as requested, and the group of friends proceeded to have a wonderful night.

* * * * * * * *

“So how many tickets have you sold?” Katie asked when she reached the ticket table outside the gym the night of the dance. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun, a few stray hairs drifting just to the edge of her ears and making her swipe at them periodically.

Adyson gave her a wide grin. “I don’t know the exact number, but I’ve been told it’s more than we planned on. I’m just glad Phineas and Ferb gave us plenty of extra wristbands!” She took the money Katie offered and put one of the aforementioned wristbands on the young woman’s wrist.

Katie grinned back. “That’s great!” She looked at the thick paper of her newly-acquired bracelet. “Phineas and Ferb came up with these, huh? Seems kind of plain and simple for them.”

Adyson shrugged. “Phineas assured me they’d help with part of their mistletoe game setup. He just wouldn’t give me specifics. Said something about wanting everyone who comes to be surprised at the same time.”

“That’s Phineas,” Katie said with a laugh. “When do you get to join in?” She gestured toward the closed gym doors.

“Another fifteen minutes. Oliver takes over then. But go ahead and go inside. The others are already here.”

“Okay, see you later!”

A half hour later, Adyson had joined her friends inside the gym, and the group of them were standing together enjoying the music the DJs were playing. “I am so glad this turned out so well!” Adyson said with a proud smile.

Isabella glanced around as the others nodded their agreement. “You should be,” the black-haired young woman said. “This place is gorgeous, and there are definitely more people than last year.”

“Man, the Raving Wildcats are on top of their game tonight!” Buford said, nodding his head slightly in time to the music. “I’m so glad you brought them in!”

“They were happy to do it,” Adyson told him. “They gave us a great discounted rate.”

“That makes sense,” Ferb said. “I understand that Blake Langley is studying fashion design over at Jefferson State College. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes to your show in the spring.”

Adyson’s eyes widened. “Really? I didn’t know that. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for him.”

Katie elbowed Gretchen lightly in the ribs and gave her a big grin. “And I bet you’ll be happy to do the same,” she said in a teasing tone. “You keep looking over at him behind the DJ table!”

Gretchen blushed. “He’s quite attractive, you must admit.”

“Very true statement,” Katie agreed with a laugh.

“Hey, it looks like a bunch of TAs just got here,” Ginger said, pointing at a group of older students – most likely in graduate programs – that had paused just inside the main entrance.

Phineas elbowed his brother. “Isn’t that Vanessa in that crowd?” he asked with only a drop of teasing in his voice.

Isabella smiled. “Do you think she’s with any of them?”

“Please, just stop,” Ferb said with a roll of his eyes as he shook his head. “That crush faded years ago.”

“I still remember how seeing her made you mix up which blueprint you picked up when we were trying to build the giant sundae machine after Isabella had her tonsils out,” Phineas said, chuckling. “It took me forever to get you to admit what you meant when you said you were weak.”

“We were ten,” Ferb said.

Phineas gave one last snicker then sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s still funny to think about, though.” He shrugged. “But I’ll stop bugging you about it.”

“Which is probably for the best,” Baljeet said, looking past them. “Because I believe she is coming this way.”

“Hey, guys,” Vanessa Doofenshmirtz said as she walked up to the group. “I thought I recognized you standing over here. Neat setup, huh?” She gestured to the decorations around the gym.

Katie nodded and pointed at Adyson. “You bet. Adyson here was on the dance committee.”

Vanessa looked at Adyson, impressed. “Very nice. So the IT Club is the fashion designer club, right? I’ve been pretty focused on my graduate studies, so I’m not completely up to date on all the student organizations.”

Adyson nodded. “That’s us. We usually host a dance toward the end of the first semester as a fundraiser for a fashion show we put on in the spring.”

“This year promises to be quite successful,” Baljeet added.

“I’d say,” Vanessa agreed, taking a look around at the sizable crowd.

“You went somewhere else for your bachelor’s degree, didn’t you?” Isabella asked.

Vanessa nodded, stiffening up slightly. “Yeah, San Diego. I took a couple years off before getting accepted at Danville University for my master’s.”

Phineas frowned slightly. “Is there something wrong?”

Vanessa shook her head. “No, no, that’s not it. I just, um… Let’s just say I’m much happier going to school here and leave it at that.”

“All right, Vanessa,” Phineas said with a smile that told her he wouldn’t push for what she didn’t want to share.

“So you’re going to play along with the games, aren’t you?” Buford asked the older woman, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

“It depends on the games,” Vanessa replied, smirking.

Buford rolled his eyes. “The theme of this thing is mistletoe madness. I’m sure there’s going to be some kissing involved at some point.”

Phineas looked at his watch and nodded at Ferb. “Speaking of games, Ferb and I have to get things started. Did you want to introduce us, Adyson?”

Adyson nodded. “Do Blake and Ezra know what their part in all this is?”

“They got here just as we were finishing our setup. We explained everything then. Come on, Ferb. Let’s do one last check.” Phineas led his brother toward the DJ table.

“Then I guess it’s my turn,” Adyson said. She gave the others a smile and headed off after the two brothers.

“She’s going to introduce Phineas and Ferb?” Vanessa asked.

Isabella nodded. “They put together the big game the dance is centered around, based on an idea Adyson had to have mistletoe moving around instead of just being hung in one spot where people could just avoid it. There’s apparently a lot of technical stuff involved with it.”

Vanessa frowned. “You mean you don’t know exactly what this game is?”

The others shook their heads. “They wanted everyone to be surprised, so they worked on it alone,” Gretchen explained.

“But it’s a Phineas and Ferb creation, so it’s bound to be fun and interesting,” Katie enthused, grinning. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“You would,” Ginger said, smiling.

“Excuse me,” Adyson said as the last song ended, her voice echoing across the gym thanks to the DJs’ speaker system. “It’s just about time to start our mistletoe game I know all of you have been looking forward to. And here to explain how it works are the game’s creators, Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher!” She stepped away from the microphone as she gestured toward the two brothers while the crowd applauded.

Phineas grinned as he moved up to the mic. “Thanks, everybody. I think you’re all going to enjoy this. Ferb and I have installed a track on the ceiling that our mistletoe of the evening will be traveling on throughout the night. And if you look down, you’ll notice that the floor is covered with a gym-sized mat made of a special polymer.”

Ferb pressed a button on a small panel next to the DJs’ equipment, causing a cloth panel to be drawn into a roll above the DJ station. A massive and intricate track system hugged the high ceiling, and a large metallic sprig of mistletoe unfolded from a specially shaped cavity in the far corner. The green-haired young man pressed another button and the sprig began to move along the track, randomly changing direction at intervals.

“I’m sorry to say the mistletoe is artificial,” Phineas said with a knowing smirk. There was no way to miss that. “We were afraid that a natural sprig wouldn’t be big enough to see that far up.” He looked over at his brother. “Go ahead and flip the switch, Ferb.”

Ferb did so. Suddenly a grid of light came to life beneath everyone’s feet, making most of the crowd gasp in surprise. There was a large number of three foot by three foot squares, each of them with a letter-number combination in the center. They ended just in front of the DJ table and about a foot in front of the partially-pulled-out bleachers on the wall opposite, with a two and a half foot empty space along the other two walls.

“You’ll notice that each of the squares on the floor will fit two people,” Phineas continued. “And if you’ll look at the wristbands you were given when you arrived, you’ll see a letter-number combination that matches one of the ones in the grid. Every time the mistletoe is activated by our kick-butt DJs, a different combination will appear. You should go to that square before it stops moving, and if the mistletoe stops above your square, you have to kiss the person you’re sharing the space with.” He smiled. “To keep things in the spirit of the dance, let’s make those kisses on the lips, even if it’s just a quick peck, okay?” He paused then briefly glanced at Ferb. “Um, unless you’re related to that person. Then I think we can let you get away with something else. Like on the cheek or forehead.”

“Aw, come on, Dinner Bell,” Buford called out. “You know everyone wants to see you smooching Ferb!”

“ _Anyway_ ,” Phineas went on, blushing slightly, “no one will be able to miss which square gets picked.” On cue, the mistletoe stopped. The rest of the lights in the gym dimmed and a narrow spotlight shone down on a square in front of the bleachers. The three people standing there quickly dispersed, much to the amusement of the crowd.

Phineas continued when the chuckling faded. “Now we’re going to be fair about this. If you really don’t want to play a round – or at all - there should be enough time to move outside the grid, at which point your wristband will deactivate. Only when you’re on the grid will a number appear. Now, I’m not sure just how many people we have here tonight, so if there’s more people than we have room some people will always end up with blank bracelets each round. It’ll be random, of course, like everything else. But be sure to stay on the grid if you want to play; if someone who had a number steps off, a person who didn’t have one will be chosen to take their place.” He gestured to Ferb, who pressed the second button, causing the lights to come back on and the sprig to head back into its corner. Once it was in place, the grid faded out.

A student in the far corner raised his hand and waved it around. “So how does someone win this game?” he called out once he saw he had Phineas’ attention.

“I guess we weren’t thinking about having a winner exactly,” Phineas replied, glancing at Ferb. “This was just supposed to be for fun, and for celebrating the romance of the season. Like it said on the posters.”

“Aw, come on,” the guy began to complain.

“Hey!” Buford shouted, cutting him off. “You’ve got a decent chance of kissing someone who wouldn’t normally even give you the time of day. I’d call that one heck of a win.”

There was a stunned moment of silence, but no rebuttal.

Phineas cleared his throat. “We’ll let the party get rolling again. If anyone has any more questions, feel free to come up and ask.”

With that, the redhead gestured to the DJs and stepped away from the microphone, Ferb beside him. The music started up a few beats later.

“This should be interesting,” Vanessa commented as a handful of people approached Phineas and Ferb.

“Yeah,” Isabella agreed, a slightly worried expression on her face.

“It was nice of you to stand up for Phineas and Ferb,” Katie said to Buford.

Buford shrugged. “Yeah, well, what I said was true.” He stopped and blinked. “The getting to kiss someone you wouldn’t normally get a chance with thing, not the everyone wanting to see Phineas and Ferb kiss thing.”

The others snickered. “Oh, I don’t know,” Ginger said. “I’m sure there are some people out there who like the idea of seeing two good looking brothers kiss. I’m not one of them, but they’re out there.”

Buford and Baljeet gave her a slightly horrified look. “You are serious,” the Indian young man said, just as much a question as a statement.

“You betcha,” Ginger confirmed, her smile widening.

“I did not need to know that,” Buford grumbled, looking away.

“I didn’t either,” Vanessa and Isabella said in unison, then gave each other a surprised glance.

Adyson came bouncing up to them at that point. “This is going to be great!” she enthused, totally missing the discomfort of half of the bunch. “I knew I could count on Phineas and Ferb!”

Isabella nodded, mentally shaking off the idea that had been previously presented. “Of course you could,” she agreed. “It’s Phineas and Ferb.”

“Yeah, well, they’ve outdone themselves,” Adyson said. “I just hope some of the club members that are here are taking pictures.”

“Forgot your camera?” Katie asked with a wry, knowing smile.

Adyson just shrugged.

* * * * * * * *

It was a little over a half hour later when the DJs let a recent hit on the radio fade away and hit the button to activate the mistletoe and the floor grid. “Hang onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen!” Blake Langley said into the microphone, grinning. “Here comes the first pick of the night. Check your wristbands and get to your square!”

They all checked their wristbands and separated. Isabella ended up not too far away, leaving her to wait for a bit before the person she would be sharing the square with got there. Baljeet was practically in the middle of the gym with one of the graduate students that had come in with Vanessa, a lean woman with short brown hair who was at least four inches taller than him. Buford was in the far corner closest to where the mistletoe was tucked away between appearances with one of the other players from the football team, both of them looking a bit uncomfortable with the arrangement. Katie was in a square just to the left of the DJ table with a nervous young man barely an inch taller than her, the blonde looking amused at the fidgeting of her companion. Gretchen was paired with Ginger in a square close to the far edge of the grid, both of them giggling at the coincidence. Adyson was in a square next to the one that had been highlighted during the earlier demonstration, a young man with long dyed-black hair that hung over half his face her partner. Vanessa stood just a few squares away with another of her fellow graduate students, her expression one of forced polite interest as he talked. Ferb stood in a square to the right of the DJ table, his eyebrows raised as the shorter girl he shared the space with picked at his hair with an awed look on her face. Phineas was bouncing eagerly in a square diagonally across from his brother and nearly in the far corner opposite the table, while next to him a girl with long blonde hair and an expensive-looking blouse and skirt gazed at him out of the corner of her eyes with a slightly disdainful expression that she hid whenever he looked her and spoke.

Each pair made small talk for the most part until the big dramatic moment. With a distinct thunk, the mechanical sprig came to a halt, the lights dimmed, and a square was lit up by a spotlight. A young man and woman the group of friends didn’t really know jumped a bit at the sudden illumination and blinked in the bright light, then glanced at each other nervously. A couple of other people started a chant when they hesitated, and soon enough the whole gym was cheering along.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

It was almost deafening.

Finally the pair gave in and shared a quick peck on the lips, igniting a roar of joyous approval and applause. They looked at each other shyly when they separated; Blake called out his own approval over the microphone as he sent the mistletoe back where it came from, the dance lights coming back on line. The DJ gestured to his partner and declared a slow dance, inviting the now-blushing kissers to spend some time getting to know each other. Laughter rippled across the room.

Isabella was surprised to see her square partner looking a bit disappointed as he made his exit. She watched him weave through the forming couples for a moment, then headed toward where Phineas still stood, his own partner long gone much to her satisfaction. “Well, that seems to have gone well,” she said to the lean redhead when she came to a halt beside him.

“Yeah, that was pretty cool,” Phineas agreed, giving her a smile. “Just about how we thought it would go.”

“Disappointed it wasn’t your square?” she asked him slyly.

“Not really,” he replied, glancing in the direction his partner had gone. “For starters, it might have looked a bit rigged had Ferb or I been picked first time around. And it was pretty fun to watch the process from the sidelines, so to speak.”

Isabella narrowed her eyes a bit. “Anything else?” she pressed as nonchalantly as she could, having noticed the attitude his partner had been hiding from him.

Phineas looked at her. “Well, to be honest, I don’t think my partner was all that thrilled with the whole idea of the game.” He shrugged. “Although I don’t know why she was playing if that’s the case. We said no one had to if they didn’t want to.”

Isabella decided no response was the best response to that thought. At least he hadn’t been completely oblivious.

The other sophomores soon joined them - Vanessa went over to check in with the graduate students she’d come with - Ferb the last to do so thanks to the lingering fascination his partner still had with his hair. “Finally managed to ditch your hair admirer, huh?” Buford asked the green-haired young man, his grin wide and teasing.

“Eventually,” Ferb agreed, involuntarily looking back over his shoulder at where he’d left her behind. “She refused to believe it was natural.”

“She knows now, doesn’t she?” Phineas asked.

“I can’t be sure,” Ferb replied, turning his head back around. “The last thing she said before I made my way over here was something about how silky it was. I wasn’t about to stay and ask for clarification.”

The others laughed. “Yeah, I don’t blame you there,” Katie said.

They joked and poked fun at each other about the partners they’d ended up with for a short time before the girls pulled each other out to dance to a recent radio hit. The guys decided to get something to drink in the meantime then sit on the bleachers. It wasn’t long after that that they drifted apart to mingle and socialize.

* * * * * * * *

They went through two more mistletoe kisses before the first one that involved someone from their circle happened. Buford had been paired with a petite shorter brunette, the young woman shifting from foot to foot nervously as they had waited for the mistletoe to stop. When the spotlight came down on them, she froze for a moment as Buford’s eyebrows rose in surprise, then smiled shyly. Buford took a hold of her shoulders in a light grip and leaned in and met her lips with his own; it was more than a brief peck, but was still respectfully light and didn’t linger. Then as the crowd cheered once he’d drawn back, he leaned back in again, the girl rising up on her tiptoes to whisper something into his ear. He smiled in response and patted her left shoulder, then walked toward the bleachers.

“Did you know her?” Adyson asked when the football player joined the rest of the group.

“Nope. Said her name was Natalie, though,” Buford replied. He looked back over his shoulder. “Nice girl.”

“Oh, does that mean that you are interested in her?” Baljeet asked, fighting back an amused smile. Buford wasn’t above giving him the occasional wedgie for a teasing remark.

Buford gave him a narrow-eyed glare and shook his head. “No, not like that,” he growled.

Phineas shared a look with Isabella, who stood to his right. “So what was the smile and pat on the shoulder for?” he asked.

Buford shrugged. “She said she’d been watching me play football this year and thanked me for the kiss.”

“You had no idea how to respond to that, did you?” Ginger asked knowingly.

“Maybe,” Buford said, drawing the word out as he tried unsuccessfully to put on an innocent expression.

The others laughed.

The next time around it was two football players who got caught under the mistletoe. While they both blushed, they played along and gave each other a quick peck, then bowed to the cheering crowd and gave high-fives on their way back to a group of their friends. Buford gave Phineas a light punch to the shoulder when their group got back together. “That’ll be priceless at practice a week from Monday,” the muscular young man said with a smirk.

Phineas smiled back. “Just remember, it could be you next time.”

“Yeah, but I won’t be the first one to have done it.”

“Will that really make a difference?” Gretchen asked curiously.

“Probably.” Buford gave her a smile. “I’ll tell you at the end of the night.”

* * * * * * * *

There was a new player when the mistletoe was sent out again. Ezra Murray, one of the DJs, came out from behind the table of equipment and made his way to one of the squares after a look at the wristband not many people had noticed him wearing. He wasn’t picked, however; that honor went to Katie and one of the grad students, a huskier young man with shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair who was known to teach some of the introductory math classes when Professor Hightower was feeling under the weather. It was amazing how many Fridays in a semester the professor was ill.

Phineas, Ferb, Baljeet, and Buford watched the girls go off toward the refreshments table once the lights came back up. “Katie’s blushing,” Phineas noted with an amused smile.

“The others are probably interrogating her as to how much she enjoyed the kiss,” Baljeet said.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Phineas replied, his smile growing.

“Girls and their gossip,” Buford said, rolling his eyes. He sighed and shook his head. “So,” he continued after a couple of beats, “did any of you guys see the way the girl who got paired up with Baljeet the first time around reacted to that kiss? She looked steamed!”

Baljeet nodded. “I believe she was quite upset,” he agreed. “She was standing quite close to my square, and I am sure I heard her _growling_.”

Phineas looked at Baljeet a bit surprised at the description. “Growling? Really?”

Baljeet nodded again. “Oh, yes, definitely. I turned to look in her direction when I heard the sound and saw her looking quite angry. Then she noticed me looking at her and tried to change her expression. That is when I noticed the sound stop.”

“Whoa,” Buford said in a low tone, his eyes wide.

“I think she’s taking this whole thing a bit too seriously,” Phineas said.

Ferb watched them with an amused smile. “Yes, girls are the only ones to get caught up in gossip,” he murmured.

Meanwhile, over by the punch, Katie found herself totally surrounded by her friends. “So how was it?” Adyson asked, grinning wickedly.

Ginger gently elbowed the blonde. “Was there any tongue?”

“No!” Katie shot back, giving her friend an incredulous glare. “There was barely any pressure, much less parting lips.”

“But was it good pressure?” Adyson asked again.

Katie sighed. “It was all right. Not a bad kiss, but there wasn’t really any chemistry. I’d give it a five.”

The other girls smiled. “Good enough,” Adyson declared.

Gretchen sighed. “At least you’ve received a kiss tonight.”

“Yeah,” Ginger agreed. “That’s one more than the rest of us have gotten so far.”

“To be totally precise, Buford has also been kissed,” Gretchen corrected. “And it’s still quite early in the evening. Your point is taken, however.”

“There are a lot of people here tonight,” Isabella said. “And a lot of different combinations. We’ll be lucky to get picked at all.” She sighed.

Adyson gave her a sympathetic look. “Much less get picked while we’re sharing a square with one person in particular, right?”

Isabella shrugged. “I didn’t say it.”

“You didn’t have to,” Gretchen said.

“Didn’t have to what?” Vanessa asked, joining the small group at the table. She filled a glass with punch.

“Isabella’s wishing that she could get a mistletoe kiss with Phineas,” Ginger answered, not completely successful at fighting back a grin.

Isabella blushed. “Will you guys stop it?”

Vanessa gave her a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to kiss someone.” She chuckled. “There’s also nothing wrong with _not_ wanting to kiss someone.”

Katie frowned slightly. “I take you’re talking about someone in particular,” she guessed.

“Oh, you could say that,” Vanessa confirmed. “One of the guys I came with is another psychology grad student, and he’s the last person here I’d want to even pretend to kiss tonight.” She gave a little shudder and took a drink of her punch.

“So is there anyone here you _would_ like to kiss?” Adyson asked.

Vanessa took another drink. “Well, I don’t know if there’s anyone I’d especially _like_ to kiss, but there are a couple of handfuls of guys I wouldn’t mind getting one from.”

The other girls smiled widely. “So who’re you thinking of?” Ginger asked.

“Do we know any of them?” Katie added.

“Hold on a second,” Vanessa said, drawing back slightly from the eager expressions. “I’m not talking about potential romance partners or anything here. I’ve only been here at the university for a year and a half, and most of that time I’ve spent focused on my master’s. Most of the guys I was referring to I only know because I had a class or two with them, or I’ve talked to a couple of times. Don’t even think about setting me up.”

“That wasn’t what they were thinking of,” Isabella said knowingly, giving the others a narrow-eyed glare. “Teasing you and taunting you a bit? That’s more their style.” She reluctantly smiled. “All in good-natured fun, though. And they’d back off if you really wanted them to.”

Vanessa’s eyebrows rose. “Speaking from personal experience, huh?”

Isabella nodded. “You know it.”

Adyson waved off the last bit of the conversation. “Yeah, yeah, we like to poke a bit of fun. Now back to the subject at hand. We know Gretchen’s drooling over Blake Langley…”

“I am not _drooling_ ,” Gretchen protested.

“…And Ginger’s in one of her on-again phases of her crush on Baljeet…”

“There’s never really an off-again phase,” Katie said.

“Just a less-on-than-usual-again phase,” Isabella added.

Ginger stuck her tongue out at them. “You guys are mean.”

“And Isabella’s thing for Phineas is legendary…”

Isabella narrowed her eyes once again at Adyson. “We’ve covered this already tonight.”

Adyson grinned. “So now we want to know about you, Vanessa.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “I don’t have a crush on anyone. I don’t normally do crushes.”

“Fine, no crushes. But you said _most_ of the guys you were referring to. That should mean there are one or two guys that don’t fit that description.” Adyson wasn’t letting this one go.

“You know, you didn’t say anything about Katie or yourself,” Vanessa shot back. “Any crushes we should know about?”

“Well, well…” Adyson stammered, thrown by the sudden turnaround. “A crush? Me?”

The others laughed. “You’ll have to come by for one of our get-togethers over Christmas break,” Ginger said. “Django should be back from Chicago.”

Gretchen nodded. “It’ll be quite an entertaining show, too.”

Adyson blushed. “Come on, you guys!” She looked around, and upon finding no sympathetic faces pointed at Katie. “What about her? Go after her!”

“I don’t have a crush right now,” Katie replied calmly, smiling. She looked at Vanessa. “I broke up with my last boyfriend just after the semester started, and there hasn’t been anyone since. Not even potentials.” She looked back at Adyson. “You’re on your own.”

“Traitor,” Adyson grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You know, though,” Ginger said thoughtfully, “you never really answered Adyson’s question, Vanessa.”

The attention returned to the older student. “We aren’t claiming you have a crush,” Gretchen said, “but you said most of the guys you wouldn’t object to receiving a kiss from you haven’t known long or that well. Who wouldn’t you mind receiving a kiss from that you _have_ known for some time, or that you know well?”

Vanessa finished off her punch and put the cup back on the table. “You guys aren’t going to leave this one alone, are you?”

“There might not have been a patch for it, but persistence is definitely a Fireside Girl trait we all share,” Isabella said.

“Fine,” Vanessa said with a sigh. “There’s one guy I went to high school with that took a year off of school before heading to college, so now he’s only a year ahead of me in his graduate program. I wouldn’t object to a kiss from him.”

“And?” Katie asked, drawing out the word.

Vanessa hesitated, then blew out an explosive breath. “Ferb. I’ve known him for almost ten years now. And with us both in college, we’ve gotten to be friends again, especially over this past semester. I wouldn’t mind getting a kiss from him.”

The others drew back in surprise. “Really? Ferb?” Adyson asked.

“There’s nothing wrong with Ferb,” Vanessa said a bit defensively. “He’s a great listener, and I have to admit he’s pretty cute.”

“Oh, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with him,” Adyson said quickly. “I mean, hey, I dated him for a while in high school. I just wasn’t expecting to know anyone you were going to talk about.”

Vanessa blinked. “You and Ferb dated?”

Adyson shrugged. “Yeah. There’s always been something about him. He’s the strong, smart, and silent type. We even went to our sophomore year homecoming together. But it didn’t work out, and we stayed friends. I’m glad we did, too.”

Gretchen nodded. “He’s good about that.” She smiled and blushed slightly at the surprised look she got from Vanessa at her comment. “He was my first boyfriend. Junior year.”

“Did any of the rest of you date him?” Vanessa couldn’t help but ask.

“Not us,” Ginger said, sharing a look with Katie. “But he and Milly dated for a couple months our senior year. We used to joke that he was trying to get his ‘Date a Whole Fireside Girl Troop’ patch.”

“He never would have gotten that,” Adyson said, pointing at Isabella.

Isabella just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Before anyone could say anything else, the music faded away again, and another mistletoe run was announced. The girls all shared an encouraging look then headed out onto the lit-up dance floor. The guys did the same from over by the bleachers.

The spotlight caught another pair of students the gang didn’t really know except by sight. They mingled some more once the lights came back up, laughing and chitchatting until Ezra activated the mistletoe once again. They all spread out onto the gym floor.

“Funny meeting you here,” Adyson said to Isabella as she joined her in her square.

“I was just about to say the same thing,” the black-haired young woman said with a smile.

“Great minds think alike,” Adyson said.

They both laughed.

Isabella looked around. “So where’s everyone else? Have you noticed?”

Adyson pointed off to her left. “Phineas and Buford are over there. And I think I saw Baljeet with a girl from my American History class a few squares over from there.”

“There’s Ferb,” Isabella said pointing toward one of the corners. “He’s standing with a girl from one of his engineering classes.”

“Gretchen does _not_ look happy,” Adyson commented, gesturing at their bespectacled friend standing a short distance from the DJ table with a huge hulk of a man with dark brown hair who towered over her.

Isabella frowned. “Yeah, I can understand that. He’s not someone I’d want to be that close to, either.”

Adyson nodded. “After that goon tried to take all the credit for the project the two of them worked on for their Mid-Century Literature class he’s lucky she hasn’t kneed him in the balls and headed for the bleachers.”

A moment later they both cringed along with most of the guys that had been in the immediate vicinity of Gretchen’s square. “I guess he’s not that lucky after all,” Adyson said as Gretchen flew by them.

“You got that right,” Isabella agreed. She looked back toward the square. “He may need a paramedic.”

“That _was_ a particularly nasty shot.”

Two other students stepped into the square after the big guy crawled off the grid and toward the drink table for some ice. The mistletoe continued to zoom around the ceiling along its track, people looking up at it as it traveled over their positions. “So who do you think…” Isabella started to ask when the sprig came to its usual sudden halt.

She and Adyson blinked in the bright spotlight shining down from above them.

Adyson smirked. “What do you know? You got an answer without even having to finish your question.”

“Funny.”

Adyson grabbed Isabella’s shoulders, and before any chanting could start she leaned in and pressed their lips together. She pulled back wearing a smirk. “Was it good for you?” she asked as the crowd whooped and cheered around them.

Isabella sighed then chuckled. “The stuff dreams are made of.”

Adyson laughed. “Mission accomplished then!”

“I knew you always wanted her,” Buford said to Adyson when she and Isabella rejoined their friends.

“You only say that because I never wanted _you_ ,” Adyson shot back.

Buford only smirked.

Baljeet looked at them with wide eyes. “What was it like to kiss another girl?” he asked.

Isabella blushed while Adyson shrugged. “Her lips are softer than a guy’s,” the brunette said nonchalantly. “And she wears berry-flavored lip gloss.”

“Thanks for mentioning _that_ ,” Isabella muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You guys are great sports,” Phineas told them, his face lit up with a bright smile.

“Well, it’s not like it was torture or anything,” Isabella said as she dropped her arm back to her side, blushing even more.

“I can’t wait to see who kisses who next,” Buford said. “I’m still waiting for you two to get caught.” He gestured between Phineas and Ferb.

Ferb raised an eyebrow. “I never would have supposed you were into such things,” he said calmly as Phineas rolled his eyes. “The things you learn about your friends.”

Buford started sputtering as the others laughed. “Hey, that’s not… I didn’t mean…”

“Be careful what you say, Buford,” Katie told him in a sing-song tone. “It can come back to bite you.”

“Where did Vanessa go?” Ginger asked, looking around.

“Snack table,” Phineas said, pointing.

Isabella glanced around herself. “And what happened to Gretchen? She took off after getting paired up with that jerk from her Mid-Century Lit class.”

Adyson looked toward the bleachers and shrugged. “Guess I wasn’t completely right. She’s not fuming on the bleachers.”

Isabella looked at the others. “We better find her. She’s got to be pretty upset.”

“Was that what the commotion was about before the mistletoe stopped?” Phineas asked. “I wondered what was going on.”

“Let’s just say that you and the other guys don’t want a detailed description of what she did to the guy before she took off,” Adyson said with a half-smile.

Baljeet, Buford, and Ferb all flinched and squeezed their legs together slightly. Phineas just made a face and shook his head. “I hope she didn’t hurt herself. He’s not worth it.”

Adyson shook her head. “Considering the speed she took off at I don’t think she did. But I can’t speak for her mental condition.”

“Come on, let’s split up and find her,” Isabella said with a note of command.

“You got it, boss,” Katie said with a smile and salute before grabbing Ginger by the hand and dragging her off.

“Make yourself useful,” Adyson said to Buford as she took a hold of one of his arms and led him away.

The big man stumbled after her. “Hey, I’m useful,” he protested as they disappeared into the crowd.

Ferb tapped Baljeet on the shoulder and pointed in a different direction than the other two pairs had gone. “I guess we will look for her this way,” Baljeet said with a shrug. The two of them hurried off.

Phineas smiled at Isabella. “I guess that leaves the two of us. Do you have any guesses where she could have gone?”

“A couple,” Isabella said thoughtfully. “Come on.”


	2. Chapter 2

Five minutes later Isabella and Phineas were standing outside the girls’ restroom on the other side of the athletic building from Evans Gym. “Um, I really shouldn’t go in there,” Phineas protested, his expression wary. “What if some other girl comes by and wants to use the bathroom?”

Isabella fought back a smirk. “They can wait. Come on. Gretchen needs her friends.”

Phineas just sighed and followed her inside.

“Gretchen?” Isabella asked as she and Phineas paused in front of the two sinks positioned before a pair of stalls. “Are you in here?”

“Yeah,” Gretchen admitted with a sigh after a moment. Her feet suddenly appeared below the walls of the far stall. “I’m sorry if I worried you.”

“Are you okay?” Phineas asked.

There was a stunned moment of silence before the stall door opened and Gretchen looked out, blinking in surprise. “Phineas? You came in here, too?”

He pointed at Isabella and shrugged. “I was assured there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Gretchen gave a short giggle. “No, there’s no problem. I’m the only one in here, which is what I’d been counting on.”

“So what happened back in the gym?” Isabella asked. “Adyson and I saw what you did to that jerk, but we don’t know why.”

“You saw that? How embarrassing.” Gretchen blushed a bit as she stepped closer to her friends.

“Did he say something that made you angry?” Phineas asked.

Gretchen sighed. “No, that’s not it, not exactly. Well, he said something, but…” She sighed again. “He told me he still wanted to kiss me, and that he was hoping our square would get picked.”

Phineas and Isabella shared a confused look. “ _Still_ wanted to kiss you?” Isabella asked. “As in, he wanted to kiss you before?”

Gretchen nodded. “That’s why him wanting to take all the credit for our project bothered me so much. He’d been flirting with me, making me think he was interested in a romantic relationship. I have more than enough experience with people wanting credit for projects they worked on with me. That never would have been enough to make me lash out the way I did with… _him_.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to believe him.”

“Hey, stop that,” Phineas said, frowning. “You weren’t stupid. He was. He tried to play with your emotions to get something he wanted. You’re a great person who trusts people. He just didn’t deserve it, didn’t deserve someone as great as you.”

“Phineas is right,” Isabella agreed. “He was just good at fooling people into believing he can be trusted. He had all of us fooled.”

“You didn’t know about his feigned interest in me,” Gretchen refuted.

Isabella shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. He made us all think he was nice and friendly when he came over to work with you on that project. No one saw through the disguise.”

Gretchen sighed again. “Yeah, well, I still feel pretty foolish.”

Phineas smiled at her. “That’ll pass,” he assured her. “You’ll find someone who’s genuinely interested in you for all the right reasons, and then nothing this guy did will matter anymore.”

“Like maybe a certain cute DJ?” Isabella said suggestively, grinning impishly.

“Oh, stop,” Gretchen replied with a laugh. “Like he’s going to notice me out of a gym full of people.”

Isabella shrugged. “You never know. You could go up and request a song. Start up a conversation. And there’s always the possibility of getting matched up with him during the mistletoe picks.”

Gretchen shook her head and started to guide Isabella and Phineas out of the bathroom. “Speaking of which, I’m sure we’ve missed at least one of those picks. We don’t want to miss anymore, do we?”

Phineas looked back over his shoulder at her as he was pushed along. “You’re okay, then?”

“I’m fine,” Gretchen replied with a soft smile. “I have friends who care about me very much. How could I not be okay?”

The three of them rejoined the rest of their friends not long after. Gretchen assured the others that she was fine, giving them a brief explanation of why she’d done what she did. She was struck with a mixture of embarrassment and flattery when they all expressed outrage on her behalf, followed by a combination of gratitude and affection at their expressions of friendship and support. She knew she had the greatest friends ever.

* * * * * * * *

It wasn’t long after things had gone back to normal amongst the group of friends that Blake and Ezra got the mistletoe started again. The dance crowd fanned out according to the letter-number combinations on their wristbands, and the mutters and murmurs of anticipation began. Adyson was actually left out of the process, there being more than enough others to take up the open slots. She waved at her friends from a seat on the bleachers.

When everyone was sorted out, Ferb and Isabella unexpectedly found themselves sharing the same square. A look around revealed that their other friends had noticed, and there were plenty of amused smiles and smirks aimed in their direction. Those expressions widened significantly when the mistletoe stopped above them, the pair suddenly highlighted for the entire gym to see.

“Well, this is a tad bit awkward,” Ferb murmured as the crowd cheered.

“Just a tad,” Isabella agreed, blushing.

Ferb smiled then leaned in, his mouth next to her ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll still respect you in the morning.”

Isabella couldn’t help but laugh at that. And when she stopped a moment later, Ferb lightly placed his hands on her waist and moved in to kiss her. It was more than a peck, but still light. With Isabella returning the pressure, they both knew the kiss was merely a tender expression of their close friendship. They were more than satisfied.

Moments earlier, as had started to happen around the time of the third pick, people outside the immediate vicinity of the chosen couple drifted off the dance floor and back to what they had been doing as soon as the spotlight was activated. Vanessa had quickly moved over to the drinks table, snatching up and filling a glass as soon as she got there. Buford joined her and grabbed a glass of his own as she leaned back against the table and stared at the spotlighted pair with narrowed eyes.

“Someone’s not happy with this arrangement,” Buford commented slyly as Ferb leaned in to whisper in Isabella’s ear.

“What makes you say that?” Vanessa replied, then took a large drink from her cup.

“Defensive much?” Buford shot back.

Vanessa sighed. “I don’t know why I am. It’s not like I’m interested in him that way.” She paused and froze as Ferb and Isabella’s lips met. “I don’t know why this bugs me.”

Buford let out a loud catcall followed by a piercing whistle before returning to the conversation at hand. “Probably the same reason seeing a certain someone kissing someone else would bug the crap out of me. You like him, there’s an attraction. Doesn’t matter if it will ever go beyond that, the feelings are still there. And now he’s out there kissing another girl with you looking on.” He shrugged.

Vanessa watched Ferb and Isabella hug each other briefly then head for the bleachers where the rest of their friends had gathered. She sighed. “You’re probably right,” she admitted. She gave the muscular young man a smile. “Thanks for just talking to me about this instead of teasing me.”

Buford shrugged again. “I know how you’re feeling. I’ve learned over the years that there’s a time and place for teasing.”

“If it’s not too personal, can I ask who this certain special someone is? That it would bug you to see kiss someone else?” Vanessa’s questions were hesitant, but her curiosity was high.

“I dunno…”

Vanessa blinked as she realized Buford was blushing slightly. “I’m not trying to embarrass you or get ammunition for teasing, I promise. I was just curious.” She shook her head. “You know what, forget I asked. It’s none of my business anyway.” She set down her now-empty glass and started to step away from the table.

Buford reached out and grabbed her arm before she could leave. “It’s Baljeet,” he said quietly when she turned her head to give him a questioning look. “I don’t know if he’s interested in me that way or if he ever would be – or even if I’d do anything if he was interested in that way – but the feelings are there. We really got to know each other over the years and he’s someone special.” He shrugged again with a touch of nervousness. “There’s your answer.”

The admission surprised Vanessa, and it took her a couple moments to respond. “I… wasn’t expecting that,” she said a bit hesitantly.

“Really?” Buford asked. “I’ve always gotten the vibe that people think there’s already something going on between us.”

“Well, the who was a _little_ bit of a surprise, but I was thinking more about the fact that you told me at all. You really didn’t have to.”

“I know,” Buford admitted with another shrug.

Vanessa smiled. “So why did you?”

Buford looked at her through narrowed eyes for a long moment then gave her a half-smile. “You don’t live with us or hang around all the time. Well, not yet at least.” His expression became a full-blown grin when Vanessa blinked and blushed. “And by the time you do, you’ll be used to the idea. There won’t be any weird looks at me and Baljeet, trying to see how much we like each other. You know, those long stares that even Dinner Bell would pick up on. Nothing awkward.” He paused and let his grin fade back into an aw-shucks smile. “And I could tell you meant it when you said you were just curious. You really would have just walked away if I’d let you.”

“Well, of course,” Vanessa said gently.

“You know, Ferb’s got good taste. He used to have the biggest crush on you when we were younger.”

“I thought so,” Vanessa said with a small smile. She then bit her lower lip briefly. “Um, you said used to?”

Buford shrugged. “Yeah, as far as I know.”

Vanessa nodded. “All right.”

The conversation came to an end when the mistletoe was sent out again. The two of them shared a smile and went out onto the gym floor amongst the rest of the throng. They were joined by the rest of their friends as well as one of the DJs, Blake Langley. They were ready for the next round.

* * * * * * *

Gretchen laughed along with the rest of her friends as they headed out to find their squares, the past trouble with her former English Lit classmate forgotten. The others had said there were good things waiting to surprise her just around the corner, but she had rolled her eyes and chuckled at the thought. And then she had been the recipient of a huge surprise when she found herself paired up with Blake Langley, the attractive DJ, another when he gave her a big smile and started up a conversation with her, and the biggest one of all when the mistletoe stopped above her square. Her eyes grew wide behind her glasses. Apparently her friends had been right. She nervously licked her lips.

“Well, aren’t I the lucky one?” Blake asked with a wink. He then put his arms around the slim brunette’s waist and pulled her into a gentle, lingering kiss. “Come by the DJ table and we can talk some more,” he told her once they’d separated and the crowd was cheering. “I’ll be looking forward to it.” He gave her arm a squeeze and headed back to his station.

“Wow,” Gretchen whispered as she watched him go, a delighted smile twitching the corners of her mouth upward. When it fully formed, she gave a little laugh and dashed over to the refreshments table, needing something to fix the dry throat her nerves had produced.

* * * * * * *

The rest of the gang was disappointed when Gretchen didn’t join them in their customary spot at the base of the bleachers. They’d been looking forward to their planned congratulations and interrogation. They were appeased, however, when they saw her wend her way over to the DJ table, Blake eagerly stepping over to engage her in conversation. Adyson and Katie even gave each other a high five.

Ginger sighed. “Well, that makes me the last Fireside Girl to be left unkissed,” she said, a bit depressed.

“Um, Adyson just kissed me,” Isabella said.

“That’s still a kiss,” Ginger said.

“You’ll get your chance,” Katie assured her with a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Hopefully it’ll even be with someone you’ll find marginally attractive.”

Phineas nodded. “Katie’s right,” he agreed in his usual upbeat tone. “And remember, Baljeet and I haven’t been picked yet, either.”

Ferb gestured toward the group of graduate students. “Vanessa hasn’t been chosen as well.”

Ginger sighed again. “Yeah, I know. And I know that there are other people here who haven’t been picked, and some people probably won’t get picked at all. Thanks, guys. I just have to remember it’s not the end of the world if I don’t have the mistletoe spotlight shine on me tonight.” She gave them all a small smile.

“Anytime, Ginger. You know that.” Isabella gave her longtime friend an affectionate hug that was fondly returned.

Just a little bit later the mistletoe was sent on its way once again, and the group of friends – with the notable exception of Gretchen - headed out, quickly losing sight of one another for the most part in the surprisingly still large and eager crowd. Squares were filled, and polite conversations were had. Everyone looked forward to seeing who was chosen this time.

And then the mistletoe stopped, its spotlight illuminating the square below it.

Every last one of the former Fireside Girls cheered louder than anyone else there when the spotlight shined down on the square shared by Baljeet and Ginger. Ginger herself covered her mouth in embarrassment once she cut off her own excited squeal. Baljeet simply blinked in surprise at the reaction. “You are happy to be chosen for this?” he asked.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Ginger replied shyly.

“Is it only because of the kiss, or because of whom you will be kissing?” Baljeet asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Ginger didn’t reply in words. She merely rolled her eyes, took the curly-haired young man into a tight embrace, and kissed the daylights out of him. The lights and music came back on without them noticing, Baljeet having quickly and eagerly decided to participate.

Vanessa couldn’t stop herself from looking for Buford when she saw who made up the kissing couple. After a brief moment, he returned her gaze, a touch of pain touching the edges of his own for a second or two before being pushed aside with a sad half-smile and resigned shrug. Her expression became apologetic. He waved off her concern not unkindly, then deliberately widened his smile and filled it with teasing happiness for his friend.

Back on the dance floor, Baljeet and Ginger were still exploring each other’s mouths, their embrace tight. When they finally pulled back from one another, they found they were surrounded by their grinning friends.

Buford gave Baljeet a punch to the shoulder. “Finally decided to breathe, huh?” he asked, smirking.

The girls all giggled. “You’re going to want to touch up your lip gloss,” Katie told Ginger as Ferb silently gave Baljeet his handkerchief.

“And maybe your hair,” Isabella added.

“Thank you,” Baljeet said quietly as he returned the scrap of cloth to Ferb after wiping the remnants of the kiss from his lips.

“I’m going to go… fix myself up,” Ginger said quietly, giving Baljeet a small, shy, but happy smile.

Baljeet returned the smile and nodded. It didn’t take long for Ginger to get swept away by the rest of the girls, all of them disappearing in the direction of the nearest girls’ bathroom. 

Once they were gone, Buford lightly elbowed Baljeet in the ribs. “That looked awfully enjoyable,” he said in a teasing tone.

Baljeet blinked and looked at the husky football player. “Yes. Yes, it was,” he said simply.

“Good for you,” Phineas told him.

“I wonder how long the girls are going to be pressing Ginger for her description of what went on between you,” Ferb mused, glancing off toward where the ladies had disappeared.

“At least through the next mistletoe pick,” Buford said confidently. “Maybe through two.”

* * * * * * *

Buford ended up being right. The next pick came quickly, and none of the girls had returned. None of the guys, including a still somewhat-dazed Baljeet who got pulled onto the grid by a smirking Buford, were anywhere near the square that ended up lit by the spotlight. But when they headed back toward their usual spot near the bleachers, Adyson came walking their way, although it was from a different direction than expected.

Phineas waved when she got close. “Hey, Adyson, what’s going on? Something happen during your interrogation of Ginger?”

Adyson grinned. “Yeah, but not with that. There was a problem with the ticket count and I got hunted down to deal with it.”

“Did everything work out?” Ferb asked.

“Yeah. Someone had tucked away an envelope with a few ticket payments in with the leftover tickets, so it got overlooked. The books are now even.” Adyson shook her head. “Some people. And I had to go and miss the best part of the questioning.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear all about it later,” Phineas told her with an amused smile.

She shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s never the same as getting it first-hand.”

They all laughed. A few moments later the mistletoe was sent out again, and the group headed out to find their squares on the grid. It was Adyson’s turn to be pleasantly surprised when her square was chosen, her partner a cute guy that had been in her chemistry lab the semester before. The pair chatted for a bit after their kiss, and Adyson told him to find her before he left if he was interested in exchanging numbers.

Vanessa was standing by the bleachers waiting for the undergraduates when they all finally returned to their usual gathering spot. “So, does Django have something to be worried about when he gets home for Christmas?” the older young woman asked Adyson with an amused smirk.

“I doubt it,” Adyson replied, blushing, while the guys laughed.

“I dunno,” Buford drawled. “I’d say that guy looked pretty interested.”

Adyson smacked the football player’s arm. “Oh, stop it, you.”

Buford just laughed.

* * * * * * *

The group gossiped about the partners they’d had throughout the night until Blake Langley – with Gretchen still standing next to the DJ table – started up the game again. Adyson shrugged and headed out, Buford pulled Baljeet onto the grid with Phineas shaking his head as he followed, and Ferb smiled a small, amused smile at their antics before pausing when he noticed Vanessa merely take a seat on the bleachers.

“Won’t you be joining in on this round?” the green-haired young man asked.

“Not right now,” Vanessa said. She pointed toward where her group of graduate students were starting to make their way onto the playing field, one guy in particular apparently looking around for someone specific. “I’ve been lucky to avoid the gawking one all night; he’s the last guy I’d want to be stuck in a square with. After the last round he announced that he was going to have to leave soon, so he was hoping to be picked while he was standing with one of the ‘hot chicks’.” She rolled her eyes. “Since he was staring right at me when he said that, it didn’t take much imagination to figure out who he had in mind.”

Ferb successfully fought back a smile. “Then I don’t blame you for not wanting to participate for the time being. Would you like me to keep you company?”

Vanessa shook her head. “You don’t have to do that, Ferb. I don’t want you to miss out on the fun just because I’ve got an overzealous fan.”

“Who said I’d be missing out on any fun?”

“Well, thanks for the compliment,” Vanessa said, her cheeks blushing slightly. “But I’ll be fine. I’m just hoping to sit out a couple of rounds as unobtrusively as possible until Mister Subtlety makes his exit. Then I’ll be right back at it.”

“I’ll head out then,” Ferb told her after a half-second of hesitation. “I don’t want to draw any undue attention to you.”

Vanessa smiled. “It’s not like you’ll be gone long.”

Ferb returned the expression with a small one of his own. “Very true. In a few minutes, then.” He bowed his head respectfully and moved onto the grid just in time to get one of the last squares, his partner a tiny waif of a girl who was so shy she only blushed and gave him a tiny yet friendly smile when he joined her.

The mistletoe went around and around for a couple minutes longer before coming to its usual dramatic stop. The lights dimmed and the spotlight highlighted the square beneath, making the pair standing there blink as much in reaction to the sudden brightness as to the surprise they both felt. Buford only blinked for a moment, though, before letting a huge grin light up his features. Baljeet, on the other hand, felt his eyes grow amazingly wide at the turn of events.

“Well, ain’t this just a kick in the pants?” Buford murmured, smirking as the sound of some of his fellow football players taunting him started to ring out.

“It is a kick in the something,” Baljeet replied. “I am not quite sure what, however.” He took a deep breath and flinched slightly at a particularly loud wolf whistle. “Will this not cause you embarrassment at your future practices?” he asked, concerned for his friend.

“I’m not the first guy to get caught with another guy like this tonight,” Buford refuted. “I’ll be fine. But now to make this all worthwhile.”

The big man got a wicked twinkle in his eyes and reached out to grab Baljeet’s wrist. A flick of his arm had the thinner young man spinning in close to Buford’s body, where the brown-haired man smoothly turned the move into a deep dip, Baljeet’s curly black hair a fraction of an inch from brushing the gym floor. Buford waggled his eyebrows and brought his face in to close the deal.

It was a surprisingly gentle and tender kiss, Baljeet was stunned to realize. It was firm enough to qualify as more than a peck, yet not so much as to encourage either pair of lips to part and take things further. And it was filled with emotions; Baljeet wasn’t completely sure what those emotions were, but they were definitely there. He found himself kissing back after a frozen moment.

And then it was over. Only a second or two after returning the kiss, Baljeet found himself planted back on his feet with the crowd roaring in laughing appreciation of what had just occurred. Buford gave him a saucy wink and a hearty slap on the back before strutting back to the bleachers where the rest of their friends – including the girls who had apparently returned from Ginger’s bathroom interrogation while he was otherwise occupied – were gathering to wait for them. Baljeet blinked a few times then shook himself out of his stupor to follow along behind.

“Now that was an interesting sight to come back to,” Isabella said with a grin once the pair had joined the circle.

“I just bet it was,” Buford said coolly, flashing a half-smile.

“It was even more interesting to be a part of,” Baljeet said, looking at Ginger to gauge her reaction.

Ginger gave him a small smile. “You sure seemed to enjoy it.”

Baljeet shrugged. “Does not everyone wish to be swept off of their feet by someone?” he asked, shooting a sly look toward Buford.

Buford snorted. “I’m not sure I wanna see the person who tries to sweep me off my feet for any reason.”

“I bet we could invent something to do that,” Phineas said, an impish twinkle in his eyes.

“Don’t even go there,” Buford told him, raising his hands in a warding off gesture. “I don’t doubt you’d do it.”

“Wise man,” Ferb murmured with a tiny smirk.

Buford almost shot the green-haired young man a glare for the soft-spoken comment but thought better of it.

* * * * * * *

There was a bit more give and take amongst the friends, and then the mistletoe was sent out again. Ferb gave Vanessa a quick, silent check then headed out when she shook her head and stayed seated. Baljeet and Ginger drifted over to a quiet corner away from the game. Buford watched everyone else walk away, then surprised Vanessa by sitting next to her on the bleachers.

“You’re not going out?” the graduate student asked.

“Nah. I’m good for now.” Buford gave her a little knowing smile, softly snorted, and raised his eyebrows. “I think we both know why I’m not out there, but what’s your excuse? Not gonna get a chance to kiss the guy you want if you’re sitting here.”

“Overzealous admirer,” Vanessa said briefly, gesturing toward the fellow graduate student she had told Ferb about earlier, the lean man pouting and crossing his arms over his chest as he stood in a square with a strawberry blonde woman with glasses that apparently didn’t meet his standards for the definition of “hot chick”.

Buford let out a bark of laughter then got the impulse under control enough to keep the happy sound from attracting too much attention. “He doesn’t look happy to not see you. Want me to encourage him to look elsewhere?”

Vanessa smiled and shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. He’s supposed to be leaving soon.”

Buford shrugged. “Your call.” He looked out onto the gym floor and snorted again. “Look who’s paired up. Now if only the mistletoe would stop in the right place, we’d get the entertainment capper of the night.”

Vanessa looked in the same direction as her companion and felt her jaw drop and her eyes widen involuntarily. “It would certainly make things interesting, that’s for sure,” she said after a brief, stunned moment.

“You said it, sister.”

Meanwhile, out on the dance floor, the potential entertainment capper was sharing a quiet laugh over the odd coincidence that had created the pairing.

“Considering the total number of different pairings that were possible, I really didn’t think this was going to happen tonight,” Phineas said a touch wryly.

“At least the mistletoe hasn’t spotlighted us,” Ferb said, glancing up at the still-moving mechanical sprig.

“Yet,” Phineas added.

Ferb brought his gaze back down and smiled. “Yet,” he agreed.

Phineas glanced back at the bleachers where Vanessa and Buford were talking. “It’s too bad you haven’t gotten your chance with her yet,” he said sympathetically.

Ferb sighed. “I told you earlier, the crush I had on Vanessa faded years ago.”

“I wasn’t talking about your old crush. I know that you two have been hanging out and talking lately, and from the way you’ve talked about her I kinda got the impression that there was some real interest there. As in a current, adult interest.”

“What could I have said about lunch meetings or the occasional study session that would give you _that_ impression?” Ferb asked, bewildered.

Phineas shrugged. “That’s just it, you talked about it. And not just to let me know where you were going to be. Maybe there was even a tiny sparkle in your eyes, too.”

Ferb frowned. “I don’t get tiny sparkles in my eyes, unless there’s a piece of foreign matter in them that’s causing them to tear up.”

“I said maybe,” Phineas said. He wore a half-smirk that spoke of a total lack of repentance.

“You’re impossible.”

“I say again, maybe.” The half-smirk turned into a full blown grin.

Ferb lifted an eyebrow. “And what of your chances? I don’t believe you’ve had an opportunity to be paired with your first choice of kissing partner this evening, have you?”

Phineas blinked at the change in subject. “What are you talking about?”

It was Ferb’s turn to blink as he realized the question was genuine. “There isn’t someone here you’d prefer to be paired with under the mistletoe?”

“Well, I suppose there are some people I’d prefer more than others. At least I guess so.” Phineas frowned as he considered the question.

Before he could say any more, a familiar laugh rang out from behind him, making him turn his head to look at the source. A little ways away, Isabella stood in a square with Katie, and the two of them were staring at them and snickering beneath hands that were quickly brought up to cover their mouths when they saw the redhead looking in their direction. Phineas couldn’t help but chuckle fondly. He supposed he and Ferb did look rather silly standing there together to someone who knew them and their relationship.

A moment later he realized his gaze was lingering. Instead of looking away, however, he considered why. The dimmed lights showed off the slight blue tint in Isabella’s long, rich hair, the young woman blessed with what was called midnight black or blue-black tresses. He’d always liked her hair. It was rich and full, and Isabella could do some amazing things with it when she wanted to change up her usual style. It was soft, too; Phineas helped her brush through it occasionally and always loved its silkiness. Add to that how it brought out her dark blue eyes and light skin…

Phineas mentally drew himself up short and finally looked away from Isabella as he realized where his thoughts were going. Did he really pay that much attention to Isabella’s looks? They certainly were pleasant; his friend had grown from one of the cutest girls around to quite a beautiful young woman, inside and out. But that was just fact, wasn’t it? Or did that mean something more personal? He’d have to examine his feelings about it all.

But that would have to happen later. Just as Phineas made his resolve the mistletoe stopped, and the sudden blinding spotlight drove his thoughts back momentarily. He and Ferb stared at each other in shock.

“Apparently ‘yet’ has just come to pass,” Ferb commented wryly with his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“I guess it has,” Phineas agreed. He took a deep breath and blew it out. “How do you want to do this? It’s not like we can back out.”

“No, that wouldn’t be fair. You did mention relatives being allowed to…” Ferb cringed slightly when a piercing wolf whistle rang out from the direction of the bleachers, followed by a chorus of laughter from the rest of the crowd. Buford would definitely have to pay for that one later. “Relatives are allowed to kiss cheeks if I remember correctly.”

Phineas grinned. “I did say that, didn’t I?” He cleared his throat. “Then let us get this over with, my brother,” he concluded in a horrible fake French accent.

Ferb rolled his eyes.

In the next moment, as though it had been discussed and choreographed earlier, the two of them straightened to their full heights and simultaneously clasped each other’s upper arms. They paused briefly and locked gazes, then quickly and precisely leaned their upper bodies in and lightly brushed their lips against the other’s cheeks, left then right. Then they straightened again, patted the arms they gripped, and stepped back a half step from each other. In sync, they did a hundred and eighty degree spin and bowed deeply to the crowd that surrounded them. The music and lights came back on as they righted their posture, and the two brothers – Phineas grinning and Ferb with just a tiny, sly smile – headed back for the bleachers.

“Thank you,” Gretchen said to Blake as she watched her friends gather in the evening’s usual spot. “They didn’t need to have that moment linger any longer than necessary.”

“Anything for you, beautiful,” Blake returned with a soft smile and a wink. “Besides, those two were really cool to hang with as we were setting up this afternoon. We’ve never gotten better sound out of our equipment, and they said they could hook us up with some upgrades on the cheap.”

“Yes, that would definitely be Phineas and Ferb. They’ve always been like that. I’m lucky to have friends like them.”

Blake nodded. “I hear you, babe. I definitely hear you there.”

Over at the bleachers, the Flynn-Fletcher brothers had rejoined their friends.

“I think I’m disappointed,” Buford told them thoughtfully after a silent moment of the group staring at them with small smiles. “That wasn’t quite the show stopper I was expecting.”

“Phineas proclaimed at the beginning of the evening that a pair that was related was not required to kiss on the lips,” Baljeet said, rolling his eyes. 

“I don’t believe I said anything about expecting them to kiss on the lips,” Buford shot back.

Katie gave the bickering pair an amused look then turned to Phineas and Ferb. “So did you have that whole thing planned out in case you got picked?” the blonde asked.

Phineas chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. I never thought we’d get paired off at all; the odds aren’t exactly good for any two specific people to even end up sharing a square, much less the one that gets spotlighted. We just winged it.”

Vanessa’s eyebrows rose. “That was pretty good for being spontaneous.”

Isabella gave the graduate student a smile. “The connection these two share is beyond anything else I’ve ever seen. I can’t say I’m surprised at the results.”

“To be fair, I did give Ferb a clue to what I was thinking by using a bad French accent right before we started,” Phineas said as though that explained everything.

“You know that could have meant just about anything, right?” Ginger asked.

“Why would it mean anything else?” Phineas asked in return, truly bewildered.

Buford gave the redhead a dismissive gesture and shook his head. “Never mind, Dinner Bell. Just accept that you two don’t think like the rest of us mere mortals, all right?”

Phineas shrugged. “Sure, Buford, whatever you say.”

Ferb looked over at Vanessa. “Has your not-so-secret admirer left yet?” he asked.

“Not quite, but I think he might be making his excuses as he gets ready,” Vanessa replied, gesturing in the direction of the group of graduate students she’d arrived with earlier. The man she spoke of had a jacket draped over an arm as he talked with the others and glanced at his wrist periodically.

“So that’s why you sat out the last couple of rounds,” Adyson said in a tone of realization. She only partially fought back a grin. “Afraid he’d be too pushy? Maybe think it would mean something outside the gym?”

“He’d take it as a victory and brag about it, and that’s the last thing I want to give a guy like that,” Vanessa said. “And for the reasons you said.”

Buford cracked his knuckles. “Oh, that wouldn’t last too long,” he said menacingly. “He’d find out just how little he’d supposedly won if he kept talking.”

Vanessa blinked. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Isabella gave her a look that spoke of a backstory. “He’s completely serious. Completely.”

Vanessa blinked again. “Okay. Wouldn’t be necessary, but okay.”

“Hey, there are perks to being friends with me,” Buford said. “One is that you get my protection.”

“Not all of the perks are pleasant ones,” Baljeet said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Random wedgies and noogies, for example, are quite unpleasant. I do not recommend them.”

The others all laughed.

* * * * * * *

The conversation continued in a happier vein until the mistletoe was sent out yet again. Buford smirked as he meandered out onto the grid, and Katie, Ginger, and Baljeet were right behind him. Adyson and Isabella hesitated when they saw that Phineas, Ferb, and Vanessa were staying behind on the bleachers.

“You guys okay?” Adyson asked the two brothers.

“We’re fine,” Phineas assured her with a smile. “That last round went against the odds just enough that taking this one off seems the better course of action, that’s all.”

“And you’re giving Mister Eager a little more time to get out of here?” Isabella asked Vanessa.

Vanessa nodded. “I don’t want to give him even a thread of hope that he has a chance of getting paired up with me. He actually has his coat on now, so it shouldn’t be too much longer.”

Adyson shrugged and grabbed Isabella’s arm. “Okay then, I guess we’ll leave you here. Have fun watching the chaos!” She pulled the black-haired young woman into the gathering crowd.

Phineas watched them go with a soft smile then turned an impish look toward Ferb and Vanessa. “How about I go get us some drinks? Punch for everyone! You two just go ahead and talk amongst yourselves while I’m gone, all right?” He hopped to his feet with an eagerness that matched his tone.

“Phineas, stop,” Ferb said firmly enough to startle both his brother and Vanessa. He rose to his feet without breaking eye contact with Phineas. “I will go get us drinks. You will simply sit here and wait. Thank you.” He stood still until Phineas had done as requested then left for the refreshments table.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Vanessa said, staring after the green-haired young man.

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t exactly subtle,” Phineas admitted sheepishly. “I think I may have gone a hair overboard this time.”

Vanessa looked at him. “And why would you do that?”

Phineas shrugged. “You guys seem to enjoy all the time you’ve been spending together lately. I thought I’d try to encourage that.”

“By leaving us alone together so blatantly?” Vanessa said with an amused chuckle. “Yeah, that might be a little much.”

“I hope I didn’t offend you,” Phineas said.

“No, I’m not offended. I don’t think we need to be pushed, but I’m not offended.” She shrugged. “Ferb’s a great guy.”

Phineas grinned. “Yes. Yes, he is.”

It wasn’t long before Ferb returned, and the three of them watched as the mistletoe spotlighted a pair of students none of them knew. The two students awkwardly leaned in for a kiss that lasted longer than expected, inspiring a round of whistles and catcalls from the surrounding crowd. The encouragement soon turned to loud laughter when the pair tried to separate and found themselves stuck thanks to strands of the young woman’s long hair getting entangled around the metal buttons on the shoulders of the denim jacket the young man was wearing. Some friends led them off the floor to start getting them untangled, and the lights and music started up again.


	3. Chapter 3

It was the usual conversations and gossip when the rest of their circle returned to the bleachers. Ten minutes later, Vanessa surprised everyone by pumping her fist and joyously crying, “Yes!”

“Whoa, what’s going on?” Buford asked, looking around confused.

“The idiot finally left!” Vanessa gave a brief evil laugh, then coughed and got control of herself. Her smile didn’t fade, however. “I saw him head out of the main doors and pull the keys out of his pocket as he went. He looked pretty ticked. Which makes me pretty happy.” Her smile grew into a wide grin.

“Yes!” the other girls cried in response. Adyson gave Vanessa a high five.

Buford smirked. “So now you can get your butt back on the gym floor for the mistletoe pick.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Yeah, I can play again.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Ferb reminded her.

“I know,” Vanessa said. “But I’ll be joining you guys next time. I’ve had enough sitting around.”

“Cool,” Katie said, smiling.

Ginger nodded. “I can understand not wanting to sit anymore when you’ve been doing it for a while. I, um…” She paused and glanced at Baljeet. “I’m thinking I may take a round off since I’ve been running around most of the night. Take some time and relax.”

Baljeet blinked and looked at her. “You are tired?” he asked, his tone one of concern. “Do you wish me to get you something to drink while you rest? Or perhaps you would desire me to take you home?”

Ginger quickly shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine. Although something to drink and some, um, company might be nice.” She smiled shyly and dropped her gaze to her lap briefly.

“I would be honored to provide both,” Baljeet said with a return smile when she looked up again. “Allow me to get us both some punch and perhaps a plate of cookies if there are any left on the snack table.”

“That would be wonderful, thank you,” Ginger replied.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Buford muttered and looked away from the pair.

Katie looked at him with a contemplative expression. “I might have something in my purse for that,” she said, blatantly teasing.

Buford looked at her. “Nah, it’s nothing a little distance can’t take care of. Thanks, though.”

Adyson shook her head. “You guys are all awful.”

The lights dimmed and the music faded at that point, signifying another round was starting. Everyone but Ginger and Baljeet headed out onto the grid and split up to find their squares. They were pretty well dispersed for the most part, which is why two of them ended up surprised to be sharing a space.

“Funny meeting you here,” Vanessa said, an amused half-smile shaping her features.

“Weren’t we just hanging out on the bleachers a little bit ago?” Phineas returned with a grin.

They laughed.

Vanessa ended the happy sound with a sigh. “Well, at least I know if my square gets picked I won’t mind the result.”

Phineas gave her a knowing smile. “Unlike what would have happened with that guy who left, huh?”

“Exactly.” She shuddered. “It doesn’t help that his breath was horrible.”

“Then you’ll be glad to know I’ve been munching on mints periodically throughout the night,” Phineas told her with a laugh.

Vanessa laughed, too. “Yeah, that makes me feel better.”

Phineas let the laughter naturally fade and looked toward where Ferb was standing with a football player that the green-haired young man was tutoring. “I just hope Ferb won’t mind if we get picked,” he mused.

Vanessa’s expression turned confused. “Why would Ferb mind?”

“Oh, just wishful thinking,” Phineas said quickly, tugging at his left earlobe.

“Uh huh,” Vanessa said with raised eyebrows and a half-smirk.

Before Phineas could say anything else, the mistletoe came to a stop and shocked the two of them by highlighting their square. They stared at each other for a stunned moment, then smiled and relaxed.

Vanessa shook her head. “What are the odds, huh?”

Phineas’ expression became slightly impish. “You don’t want to know, really.” He chuckled. “Well, I may not be the brother you were hoping to be caught with tonight, but I don’t think I’ll embarrass you. We can keep it short, though, if you want.”

“Not the brother…” Vanessa blew out an explosive breath and rolled her eyes. “You’re totally incorrigible, you know that?” She smirked as she placed her hands on the sides of his head, pulled him close, and kissed him. It was a firm and thorough kiss, and while pleasant there was something to it that didn’t invite further intimacy.

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting _that_ ,” Phineas said once they’d separated, blinking in surprise at what had just happened. “Maybe a quick little peck, but not _that_.”

“This may be my only opportunity, and I wasn’t about to waste it on a quick little peck,” Vanessa protested. She smiled. “You’re my friend, Phineas. I knew it would be fun, and you wouldn’t misinterpret anything. Just… thanks for playing along. I’ll tell you something, though. I think there may be a special lady here that will _not_ be disappointed if you two get caught under the mistletoe together tonight.” Her smile shifted into another smirk.

Phineas blinked. “Who are you talking about?”

Vanessa bit her lower lip for a moment to hold back a bark of laughter. “Oh, just wishful thinking.”

Yet again before Phineas could respond he was interrupted, this time by his friends surrounding the two of them and peppering them with teasing and questions. The redhead sought out his brother’s face first, managing to convey his apologies and reassurances in a look. Ferb merely shrugged and gave him a small smile.

Ferb confused him in the next moment by raising his eyebrows and gesturing slightly toward Isabella. Had something happened to her? Phineas looked toward his long-time friend and was dismayed to see her hiding a bit of pain behind a wide smile and slightly forced laughter. She didn’t seem inclined to look directly at either Vanessa or him, choosing instead to focus entirely on whoever else was speaking at the moment.

“Hey, Isabella, are you all right?” Phineas asked her.

“I’m fine, Phineas,” she replied, finally looking at him. “You guys looked like you had lots of fun out here.”

“Well, it was certainly a unique experience, I’ll say that much.” He grinned. “Vanessa really surprised me with that kiss.”

Isabella’s jaw clenched briefly before she responded. “I bet she did. It looked like it was pretty intense.”

Phineas laughed and shook his head. “No, it wasn’t anything like that. It was nice, don’t get me wrong, but she just wanted to take advantage of the chance since she might not get another one. She told me since we were friends she knew it would be all right and nothing would get awkward.”

“Oh,” Isabella said in surprise, her eyes widening slightly. She relaxed suddenly. “It’s good you guys are friends, then.”

“I’ll say. Can you imagine what would have happened if Vanessa had gotten stuck with that weird guy who left? She never would have been able to enjoy the moment, and that would have defeated the whole purpose of the game, at least for her. And that would have been disappointing for Ferb and me.” Phineas shook his head. “But it didn’t happen that way, so everything’s good.” He glanced toward the DJ table when he noticed a slow song start, and smiled when he saw Blake take Gretchen out onto the dance floor and begin to move with her. It gave him a sudden idea. “So, Isabella, may I have this dance?” He offered her a hand with a bright smile.

“Of course,” she said breathlessly, taking the offered hand. She let him pull her into the crowd and into his arms, where the two of them swayed to the slower beat.

Vanessa watched them go and released a breath of relief she almost didn’t realize she was holding. “That was close,” she muttered.

Katie looked at her, her brows slightly furrowed. “What was close?”

Vanessa pointed toward Phineas and Isabella, taking note of how they were talking and smiling. “I didn’t even think about how my kiss would look to her. Luckily, Phineas managed to smooth things over, even if he doesn’t have a clue that he needed to do it.”

“Welcome to our world,” Adyson said. “We’ve been living it for years.”

“Is he really that clueless?” the graduate student asked. “I’d think by now he’d have realized _something_ was up with her.”

“Isabella backed off of the obvious stuff a long time ago, said she didn’t want to force him into anything or ruin their friendship by always throwing herself at him,” Adyson said. “So I might buy that he doesn’t know how she feels.”

Ginger, Katie, and Baljeet nodded their agreement. “Also, Phineas has not expressed that kind of interest in anyone, male or female, as far as I can recall,” Baljeet said. “It is entirely possible that because he is not interested in romantic involvement he does not think of people in those terms in regard to himself, and so would not recognize subtle and not so subtle attempts to reveal amorous feelings for him.”

Adyson snorted. “That one girl, Avery, had to flat out tell him she was always talking to him and hanging around him because she wanted to date him. I wouldn’t say he was totally stunned, but he was taken aback and turned her down pretty quickly.”

“When did that happen?” Vanessa asked.

“We were, what, fourteen?” Katie said. “Freshmen in high school.”

“It wasn’t long after that that Isabella backed off completely. I think his quick refusal that left no room for argument scared her,” Ginger said then sighed. “I totally get it. I would have done the same thing.”

Buford shook his head. “Yeah, but I think the thing she was missing was that Dinner Bell didn’t like that Avery only paid attention to him so he’d date her. He thought she wanted to be actual friends. You know how important friends are to him.”

Adyson nodded. “There’s that. I’m just glad he _didn’t_ date her. She always talked about how she couldn’t understand why any girl would want to be a Fireside Girl. She said there were so many things about it that weren’t properly feminine.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the memory.

Baljeet looked at Adyson. “She also talked about how people involved in Math Club wasted their time when there were better things to do. She obviously did not understand how much fun we had in Math Club.”

“Don’t get me started on what she said about football players,” Buford growled. “And she told me in private one day that she felt sorry for me since I _had_ to play if I wanted to actually do something real with my life after school was over. She’s lucky I don’t hit girls.”

Adyson, Ginger, and Katie all snorted. “Okay, Buford,” Katie said. “So what did you do to her?”

Buford grinned. But before he could respond, Ferb spoke. “He asked if I would be willing to help him with a little project. One Friday morning she was sprayed with beaver pheromones when she opened her locker.”

Buford gave an evil little laugh. “Not that she realized what had hit her,” he continued. “Too bad it was Homecoming and she was a cheerleader. She never did get why the team mascot chased her all around the field during halftime.”

“Well, that explains her aversion to beavers for the rest of the time we were in high school,” Ginger said, impressed.

“You guys sound like you had quite a wild ride through high school,” Vanessa commented with a laugh.

“We went to school with Phineas and Ferb,” Adyson said. “You expected anything less?”

Ferb looked at her, slightly offended. “Not everything that happened while we were there can be attributed to us.”

Katie laughed. “Maybe not, but enough of it can be.”

Ferb just sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

Phineas and Isabella rejoined them at that point, and the topic turned to more general recollections from years past.

* * * * * * *

The gang talked and laughed until another round started, when they all checked their wristbands and separated to head out to their squares. They ended up widely spread across the dance floor.

“Hey,” the guy already occupying Ginger’s square said when she got there.

“Oh, hi,” the young woman replied, surprised by the greeting. “You’re Jared from my biochemistry class, aren’t you?”

“That’s me,” Jared said with a smile. He glanced up at the still-moving mistletoe and fidgeted a touch nervously. “Um, I have to ask you a favor here. Don’t take this the wrong way, but if our square gets picked, is it okay if I only give you a quick peck? My girlfriend will kill me if I do any more than that.”

Ginger laughed. “Don’t worry about it,” she reassured him. “There’s someone here I’m interested in, too, and I’d hate for him to get the wrong impression. A quick little peck is perfect.”

Jared blew out a breath of relief. “Well, that’s that then.” His smile returned. “So, how’s studying for the biochem final going?”

* * * * * * *

A little ways away Ferb stood with a young man from his creative writing class. “So, um, Ferb, do you have any idea what Reynolds is going to do for her final? I don’t think she’s talked about it in class, and it’s this next week.” The taller, lankier student shifted his weight from foot to foot anxiously.

“I believe Professor Reynolds is planning on reviewing our body of work from the semester and having the class participate in a half-hour free-thought exercise to be reviewed for the remainder of the period,” Ferb answered. “She spoke of it when she returned our mid-term exams.”

“Okay,” the other young man said with a sigh of relief. “I can handle that. That’s doable.”

“Were you truly concerned about another written exam, Oliver?” Ferb asked. “We’ve been doing more creating than covering concepts and the like.”

Oliver sighed again. “I’ve had teachers do that, give a test on things we haven’t covered in more than half a semester. I just didn’t want a test like that to get sprung on me with so little time to get ready.”

Ferb’s eyebrows rose. “I see.”

“And then there was this one time that we had a complete comprehensive test covering almost everything we’d learned over the whole semester. Man, I spent more time studying for that than anything. You know, right?” Oliver gave Ferb a friendly elbow in the side, smiling like the two of them were sharing a secret.

Ferb couldn’t have responded even if he’d wanted to, as Oliver continued his story of the worst final he’d apparently ever taken without waiting for confirmation of his companion’s understanding. With a silent sigh of his own, Ferb merely continued to politely listen.

* * * * * * *

On the other side of the gym floor, Vanessa stood with one of the graduate students she’d arrived with earlier that evening. “Hey, Vanessa,” the tall young man said when she joined him. “Been a while since you hung out with the rest of us.”

Vanessa shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, sorry about that, Trevor. I saw some old friends when we came in, and between that and Devin’s lack of subtlety about who he wanted to ‘get with’ on the dance floor, well, you know.”

“No problem,” Trevor said with a chuckle. “Totally understandable. So, are you interested in one of these old friends you mentioned?”

“I’m not completely sure,” Vanessa replied after a moment of considering it. “I think I’m leaning toward yes, though.” She chuckled wryly and shook her head. “It’s amazing what a silly little game can make you think about, huh?”

“I disagree about this game being little,” he said with a gesture toward the intricate track running over most of the ceiling, “but the rest of your statement is true.” He glanced over at another square where another young man and woman were talking quietly. “It’s weird how your eyes can be opened.”

Vanessa looked toward the same square. “Rebecca Stewart? She doesn’t seem your type.”

Trevor gave her a small smile. “She’s not.”

An expression of realization dawned on Vanessa’s features. “Oh, Matthew Goodwin… Gotcha. All clear now.” She thought about it. “Yeah, he’s much more your type.”

“I had a feeling you’d understand,” Trevor said.

Vanessa just smiled and shrugged.

“Thanks, Vanessa. Just… thanks.” Trevor took a deep breath and smiled. “So, how’s studying going?”

* * * * * * *

A hop, skip, and a jump away, Phineas and Adyson nearly bumped into each other as they got to their square at about the same time from two different directions. They both laughed.

Adyson narrowed her eyes slightly when the happy noise faded naturally. “So, did you enjoy your dance with Isabella?” she asked, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.

“Yeah, it was fun. And it really seemed to cheer her up, so that was a bonus.” Phineas frowned a bit. “I wish I knew what had been bothering her though. She wouldn’t say.”

“I’m not touching that one,” Adyson muttered, shaking her head. At a normal volume she said, “Well, as long as she’s feeling better, I guess that’s all that matters.”

“I guess,” Phineas said, not completely believing it. He shook off the negative feelings and smiled again. “So have you heard from the guy you kissed earlier? I think I saw him looking for you a couple times.”

Adyson blushed. “Oh, you’re just pulling my leg. He was not.”

Phineas rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t pull your leg like that, and you know it. He was looking for someone, and since he seemed to be scanning the bleachers – where the gang has been hanging out between mistletoe runs for the most part – it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to say he was looking for you.” He smiled.

Adyson sighed. “Sorry. I _do_ know you wouldn’t play with me like that. But no, he hasn’t searched me out yet.”

“There’s still time. He’ll do it.”

“I’m thinking that would be pretty cool. Pretty cool indeed.”

“So Vanessa _was_ right,” Phineas said with a laugh. “Django _does_ have something to be worried about when he gets back from Chicago.”

Adyson frowned and playfully shoved him.

* * * * * * *

A little ways away in yet another direction, Buford stood in a square with Katie. The two had been happy enough to find they were sharing the space with a friend.

“You know, I’m surprised yet somehow not to hear what you and Ferb did to Avery in high school,” Katie said in an amused tone.

“It’s not like she didn’t deserve it,” Buford said with a shrug. “She’s lucky she didn’t say anything like that to one of you Fireside Girls. I may not hit girls, but you guys _are_ girls.”

“We wouldn’t have hit her,” Katie said. “We would have been just as sneaky as you were, and probably would have managed to earn a patch while we were at it. Isabella was always good at that, finding patches for us to earn while we were just doing stuff we wanted to do. As far as I know our troop still holds the international record for total patches earned.”

Buford chuckled. “That wouldn’t surprise me at all. Especially with all the ones the rest of us helped you get.”

Katie nodded. “Couldn’t have done it without you guys.”

Buford smirked. “Of course not.”

“And of course you’d say that.” Katie chuckled and shook her head. There was a brief moment of silence while she blew out a long, quiet breath, and then she braced herself to ask something that had been niggling at her for a while. “So are you really okay with Baljeet and Ginger maybe getting together after tonight?”

“What?” Buford asked, surprised. “W-why wouldn’t I be okay with that?”

“There are a few different reasons, I suppose.” Katie watched him carefully.

“Why would you even ask that?” The question was a bit on the defensive side, but still in control.

Katie held up her hand in a placating gesture. “I’m not trying to say anything one way or the other about anything, but you seemed kind of snippy when they were talking about skipping a round and Baljeet offered to get Ginger something to eat and drink. Add in the kiss you planted on Baljeet when you two got paired up…” She shrugged as she let her words trail off.

Buford frowned. “Is this something you girls have been talking about?”

Katie shook her head. “Nope. Just something I noticed on my own. Figured I’d ask.” She shrugged again. “But I don’t want to weird you out or anything, so you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I was just curious.”

“I suppose I should have been expecting something like this,” Buford said with a sigh, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, you probably should have.”

Buford just stared at her while she grinned widely.

* * * * * * *

Another few squares away, Isabella jumped a bit when she realized she was sharing the spot with Baljeet. “Oh, hi,” she said brightly, letting a smile turn the corners of her mouth upward as she quickly recovered from her surprise.

Baljeet returned the expression. “Hello, Isabella. I am happy to see I will be spending this turn with a friend and not a stranger. That has been awkward.”

“I totally understand that,” Isabella agreed. “I’m a little surprised you and Ginger are still doing this, though.” She gestured around to indicate the milling mistletoe participants.

“We agreed that we should do so to support our friends,” he explained.

“I totally understand that, too.” Isabella smiled gently. “You guys make a great pair.”

Baljeet blushed slightly. “Thank you. I only wish we would have taken this step sooner.”

Isabella smile grew a bit wider. “You aren’t the only one.”

Baljeet sighed. “Let me guess. Everyone was aware of our mutual crushes.”

“Maybe not yours,” the black-haired young woman conceded, “but we’ve known about Ginger’s for years.”

“Years?” Baljeet parroted in surprise. “But Ginger has dated other people. And while she has always been friendly and encouraging she has not always given me nonverbal signals that she thought of me in a way other than friendship.” His shoulders drooped slightly. “There were a number of times I began to gather my courage to ask her out on a date because I believed she might feel the same way, but then she would distance herself and my courage would falter.”

“Oh my,” Isabella said quietly, her smile fading. “It looks like your cycles were off.”

Baljeet blinked, thoroughly confused. “Excuse me?”

Isabella took a deep breath before beginning her explanation. “The girls always teased Ginger because it looked like her crush on you would come and go. Well, not really go completely, but it would fade a little or be put aside when her patience wore a little thin. Then she’d date another guy for a while and get all mopey when it didn’t work out. And then she’d come full circle with her crush flaring up again, usually with a declaration that you would have treated her so much better. Seems like she’d hold out hope that you’d say something, but lose hope just before you were going to say something… over and over and over again.” A smile began to twitch into existence. “I just hope you guys can improve your communication skills.”

Baljeet returned the smile. “I hope so as well. I see I must make it my top priority if our history is an indication.” His expression turned contemplative. “That could perhaps be good advice to give to you in return. Phineas will never know of your feelings if you are not direct about expressing them.”

“Oh no,” Isabella said with wide eyes, shaking her head. “I can’t take a chance with his friendship like that. I made up my mind a long time ago to back off and wait for Phineas to decide what he wanted out of our relationship. If that means friendship is all I can have, so be it.”

“But it may be that he is not sure you would be receptive to more than friendship. Perhaps if he knew you would be open to more…”

“No, Baljeet,” Isabella said firmly. “I can’t. Phineas is someone who knows his own mind and isn’t afraid to talk about it. If he wants more he’ll say something.”

* * * * * * *

All of the conversations came to a sudden halt when once again the mistletoe came to a halt and the spotlight illuminated the square beneath it. The young man and woman blinked both at the bright light and in surprise at being chosen. They met each other’s gaze and smiled a bit shyly.

Buford blew out a nervous breath. “Well, this is interesting.”

Katie’s smile grew. “Yes. Yes, it is.” Her face softened. “You know, no matter how you feel about him, I think you handled it wonderfully. I was really impressed.”

“Really?” Buford blurted, eyes wide.

“Really. And that makes me really happy to be spotlighted right now.”

Before Buford could respond, Katie stepped forward and wrapped her arms gently around his neck. The next moment she brought her lips to his with enough pressure and emotion to verify her last statement. It didn’t take long for him to respond in kind, touched by her candor and support. Another beat later and they had deepened the kiss, opening their mouths but not yet willing to explore with their tongues. Finally, the hooting, catcalls, and applause brought them back to the present, and they pulled apart. The gazes met once again as they licked their lips, smiles starting to form on both their faces.

Buford cleared his throat. “We should really talk about this some more.”

Katie nodded, but before she could do more than that their friends descended upon them, and the teasing, questions, and laughter began.

* * * * * * *

The dance began to head toward its inevitable conclusion soon after Katie and Buford drifted up to the top of the drawn-out bleachers to talk in private. People started to drift out of the gym, yet more people than normal were still hanging around; overheard murmurs told of the game’s success at keeping them entertained, and Adyson preened with pride. Ginger dragged Baljeet onto the dance floor to share a couple of slower numbers, and they all smiled when they saw Gretchen was doing the same with Blake.

Adyson sighed as she watched her friends dancing with their romantic interests. “Well, don’t I feel left out,” she said wryly, plopping down on the lowest bench of the bleachers.

“What do you mean?” Phineas asked, his brows coming together in confusion. “There are five of us here not paired up. You’re not alone.”

“Uh huh. You keep thinking that,” Adyson said as Isabella sighed quietly and Vanessa covered a smile with her hand.

Just then, the cute guy Adyson had kissed earlier came up to the smaller group and cleared his throat. “Hey there,” he greeted the surprised brown-haired young woman with a shy smile and a slight quiver in his voice. “I was wondering if you might be interested in sharing a dance with me.”

A grin lit up Adyson’s features. “I would love to,” she replied brightly, nearly jumping to her feet and taking the hand the young man was offering. “Later, guys!” she said to her friends as she took the lead and pulled her potential paramour out onto the dance floor.

The remaining four laughed. “Well, that didn’t last long,” Vanessa quipped with a smirk.

“I didn’t think it would,” Isabella said, shaking her head.

“I suppose we could follow their lead,” Phineas mused. He turned to Isabella. “At least, if you want to, that is.”

“Of course I do,” she immediately replied, eyes sparkling with delight.

Ferb looked at Vanessa as Phineas offered his dance partner a polite arm. “Would you be interested in a dance?” he asked.

Vanessa smiled warmly. “That would be lovely.” She reached over and took the green-haired young man’s hand. “Now let’s not waste the whole song.”

“Your brother is incorrigible,” Vanessa said once she and Ferb had stopped wending their way through the dancing crowd and she watched Phineas lead Isabella to a space half the gym away from them.

“I’m not entirely sure giving us time alone to explore our feelings is his main motivation,” Ferb refuted, gently taking the graduate student into his arms and beginning to sway to the beat of a soft ballad Ezra had put on. “I believe his first concern is privacy, both for us and for himself and Isabella.”

“Interesting,” Vanessa said, more than happy to follow Ferb’s lead in the dancing. “So he’s not interested in eavesdropping, or in having his own conversation overheard.”

Ferb smiled. “Yes to the first, no to the second. If I’m interpreting what I’ve seen of his behavior tonight correctly, he wants to examine what he might be feeling for Isabella, and it’s best to do that away from those of us who may be inclined to interrupt.”

Vanessa blinked. “His behavior tonight? I could have sworn he was just being friendly and as oblivious as the other girls said he’s been for a long time.”

Ferb shook his head. “He isn’t truly all that oblivious. He’s fully aware that he means a great deal to Isabella, but she hasn’t been overt in the expression of her deeper feelings in years. He can be forgiven for not knowing about them. As for his behavior, I’ve noticed his gaze lingering on Isabella more often than usual, and the expression on his face was almost always one of contemplation. Something has happened this evening to make him think, and it would very much be like him to create an opportunity to explore whatever ideas have come to mind.”

“So he’s spending time with her alone and in an intimate setting to do that exploring,” Vanessa mused.

“That’s what I’m presuming, yes,” Ferb agreed.

Vanessa nodded and went quiet, her eyes falling away from her companion as she considered a few things that had occurred to her earlier in the evening. A light squeeze of her waist had her returning her gaze to the dark blue one of Ferb’s, and she smiled when she saw the silent question there. “Nothing’s wrong,” she assured him. “I’m just doing some thinking of my own.”

Ferb nodded with a small smile.

Vanessa’s smile widened slightly and she gave a brief chuckle. “Tonight must be one of those nights. I think I’ll have to give Adyson a hard time, since the dance’s theme was her idea. Celebrating the romance of the season…”

“Is there something truly wrong with the romance of the season?” Ferb asked quietly, his gaze becoming intense and holding hers.

Before either of them could say anything, the song ended and the grid of light came to life beneath their feet. Overhead, the mistletoe sprang to life once more and headed out to travel its random path. They stepped back from one another, finally able to break their locked gazes by checking their wristbands for the square they should head to for the latest round. A part of each of them was relieved to have a temporary reprieve from the sudden tension they could both feel surrounding them.

Or perhaps not. Vanessa’s eyes widened when she saw the letter-number combination matched the square of the grid she was already standing on. They widened even further when she saw Ferb’s eyebrow rise, his arm fall back to his side, and Ferb not make a single movement to leave. “You’re here, too?” she asked, blinking somewhat in surprise.

Ferb’s second eyebrow joined the first. “Too?” he repeated. “Then am I to assume we’re sharing the square we’re already occupying?”

“Apparently.”

“How fortuitous.” Ferb’s expression of surprise cleared and he began to smile.

“I think you and Phineas are going to have to check your numbers for the odds again once this is over,” Vanessa said with a half-smile, letting herself accept the absurdity of the situation and roll with it.

Ferb merely waggled his eyebrows briefly as his smile widened.

They spent the next few moments looking around to see if they could find their friends in amongst the crowd. Apparently Buford and Katie were still talking at the top of the bleachers and wouldn’t be participating in the current round, and Gretchen and Blake had retreated to their previous positions next to and behind the DJ table. Baljeet and Ginger were playing and in squares relatively close to each other; since their respective partners seemed totally disinterested in engaging with them, they were taking the time to share coyly flirtatious looks, blushes bright on their cheeks. Adyson looked a bit annoyed as her square partner chatted at her, the guy she had been dancing with across the floor from her in an equally uncomfortable situation. Isabella wasn’t too far away from Ferb and Vanessa, sharing a square with a tall, athletic young woman she was having a friendly conversation with. If she was disappointed at being separated from Phineas – who stood with his back toward her, Ferb, and Vanessa, blocking their view of the person he was standing with – she hid the sentiment quite well.

“There don’t seem to be as many extras this time around,” Vanessa commented when she and Ferb returned their attention to each other.

“It’s getting late,” Ferb said. “I’m a bit surprised there are still this many people here.”

“I guess it’s the romance of the season,” Vanessa said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Ferb didn’t respond in words, merely gazing at her in contemplation. She calmly returned the look with a steady one of her own.

They hadn’t said anything a few moments later when the mistletoe jerked to a halt and the spotlight came to life, making them both blink in the bright beam.

Ferb’s eyebrows rose. “So, about that romance of the season…” he said, letting his words trail off.

“We seem to be caught in the center of it,” Vanessa replied without any real change in expression.

“So we do,” Ferb agreed. “Is that acceptable?”

The corners of Vanessa’s mouth twitched upward. “Oh, I think I can find it in myself to make do if you can.”

Ferb gave her a hint of a smile. “I can more than make do.” He reached out and placed his hands on her hips. “I believe Phineas had the right idea about my feelings after all.”

Vanessa stepped even closer to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s good to hear. He was right about mine, too, although I realized that before he said anything tonight.”

“Oh, really? You’ll have to tell me about that later then.”

Ferb ended the conversation by leaning his head down slightly and pressing his lips to Vanessa’s, quickly moving beyond anything resembling a peck when she tilted her head to bring him even closer. Their mouths opened as their grip on each other tightened, a shock of something they weren’t willing to identify at that time running up and down their spines. Vanessa slid her hand up Ferb’s neck and into his hair, inspiring him to groan and explore the inside of her mouth with his tongue.

They would have gone further, but the loud cheers of the people who had gathered around them finally entered their awareness and they drew back slightly. At the forefront of the crowd were most of their friends, Phineas laughing and Buford smugly grinning with his arms crossed over his chest the most notable. Ferb refused to remove his arm from Vanessa’s waist as he gave the two young men an amused challenging look.

“I knew this would happen if you two got a spotlight,” Buford gloated, totally unrepentant.

“I guess I didn’t have to do anything at all!” Phineas added with another laugh. “This is awesome!”

Ferb rolled his eyes as Vanessa laughed. “You’ll excuse us,” he said. “There are a few things we need to discuss.” He looked Buford straight in the eyes. “Alone.” He slowly turned that same intense look on each of his other friends, telling them without words that they were included in that admonishment, and finished by meeting his brother’s gaze and giving him a subtle wink.

Phineas barely managed to keep a bark of laughter from escaping.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Many thanks to everyone who has come along for the ride on this one. I really hope you've liked it so far, and that you truly enjoy this last chapter. Feel free to let me know what you think!_
> 
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vanessa was still snickering as Ferb led her away and out of the gym, making the rest of the gang that had gathered smile and chuckle at the display. “Someone got her wish for the evening,” Adyson said, sharing a wink with her fellow Fireside Girls.

“Well, someone _else_ ,” Ginger corrected, taking Baljeet’s hand and squeezing it. He gave her a small smile of appreciation as he returned the gesture.

“True,” Adyson agreed, grinning. “There are a lot of happy members of this group tonight.” She pointed toward the DJ table in time for them all to see Blake lean over and give Gretchen a quick peck on the cheek. “I will admit, though,” she continued once they’d all looked away again, “that I wasn’t expecting _this_.” She gestured vaguely between Katie and Buford, who stood awfully close to each other.

“That’s okay,” Katie said, unfazed. “Neither were we.” She wrapped her arms around Buford’s right one, making him look at her in happy surprise. After a beat, he relaxed and shifted his weight to lean even closer to her.

Adyson’s reply was left unsaid when her dance partner stepped over to them. “Here you are. I lost sight of you for a bit.” He smiled at the brunette.

Adyson smiled back then gestured at the others. “I’m sure you’ve guessed these are my friends. Guys, this is Peter.”

There was a round of greetings to the newcomer who smiled and returned it. “You look like you all have been having a pretty good time tonight,” Peter said.

“Definitely,” Ginger said, squeezing Baljeet’s hand again.

“We usually do,” Buford said, gently pulling his arm out of Katie’s grip and laying it across her shoulders. His smile grew when she snuggled a bit into the embrace.

“That’s good to hear.” Peter looked at Adyson. “Would you mind terribly if I pulled you away? I was hoping we could get a couple more dances in before the end of the night.”

She nodded. “They don’t need my help anymore to have fun.”

Isabella snorted, covering a small wave of hurt and jealousy she was feeling. “We never needed _that_ ,” she said as the new couple began to move away. Adyson merely looked over her shoulder and gave Isabella a raspberry.

The other two official couples moved out onto the dance floor soon after, leaving Phineas and Isabella alone. “We could dance again if you’d like,” Phineas offered.

“You don’t have to do that just to keep me entertained,” Isabella told him with a weak half-smile.

“That’s not why I asked,” Phineas refuted lightly. “I like dancing with you. I always have.”

“Thanks,” Isabella said, surprised at the simple statement. Her smile grew wider and stronger. “But I think I’m still okay. In fact, I think I’m going to get something to eat and drink then just watch everyone else. If you really want to dance, I’m sure there are some people who would love to have you ask.”

Phineas shook his head. “I’d rather join you, if that’s all right. If you want to be alone for a while, I’ll understand, but people watching can be fun, especially with a close friend.”

Isabella gave a silent mental sigh behind her softened smile. “I’d love to have my best friend join me. You’re right; it’ll be fun.”

The two of them grabbed glasses of punch and small plates of random remains from the snack table and sat in the middle of the bleachers to watching the dancing, milling crowd. They pointed out people they thought they recognized, sometimes surprised at the people they were dancing with, sometimes laughing at the confirmation of rumors they’d heard here and there. Gretchen waved to them from her seemingly permanent position by the DJ table when they looked her way. They saw Baljeet and Ginger swaying ever so slightly to the music, more interested in pressing their foreheads together and talking in low tones if they were interpreting things correctly. Buford and Katie were dancing about as much as Baljeet and Ginger, but that had more to do with the laughing they were doing. They saw Adyson and Peter sharing tiny kisses as they danced, a soft conversation happening between the expressions of affection. Ferb and Vanessa were still nowhere in sight.

“Do you think they’ll start dating?” Isabella asked once she noticed the last pair’s absence.

“Ferb and Vanessa?” Phineas asked, having seen her looking around with a small expression of confusion and quickly figuring things out after she asked her question. “I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. They’ve gotten pretty close over the past few months, even if they didn’t really realize _how_ close until tonight.”

“Did you know?” she asked, her tone a tad bit wistful.

Phineas shrugged. “For sure? No. I was wondering if something was going on, but I didn’t have any solid evidence one way or the other.”

Isabella smiled. “So you really were just teasing Ferb when Vanessa got here tonight?”

Phineas chuckled. “Oh, definitely. Then they kept looking at each other off and on as the night went along so I thought I’d push a little. Or a lot.” He shrugged. “I may have gone a bit too far. But I guess I never had to do anything.”

“They make a cute couple.”

“They’re good for each other. Vanessa is smart enough and social enough to keep up with Ferb, and he can keep her grounded and her spirits up when her mood gets a bit dark. They balance each other.”

“Sounds like you’ve really thought it through,” Isabella mused, turning her head to look curiously at his profile as he continued to stare out at the crowd.

Phineas shook his head. “Not really. It’s just an easy conclusion to come to considering what I know about both of them, that’s all. I never had to think about it before now.”

Isabella frowned. “You hadn’t thought about it?”

Phineas looked at her. “No, why should I? My relationships with them separately have nothing to do with the relationship they have with each other, and neither of them ever came to me to talk specifically about relationships or emotions or anything like that. Nothing seemed to be bothering either one of them regarding the other. It didn’t affect me.”

“But once you noticed they had feelings for each other…”

“Then I thought about it, yeah,” Phineas said with a nod. “Their feelings made me consider it. I might not have ever done that if I hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh,” Isabella said softly, his phrasing making her consider a few things she’d always thought of as absolute before.

Phineas nudged her after a few silent moments. “I will say this, though.” He grinned. “I can’t wait to see how Ferb acts right after they officially start dating. I mean, his first look at her had him so stunned he blindly grabbed that wrong blueprint.”

Isabella giggled at the mischievous expression the redhead wore. “I wish I could see what they were doing right now.”

They both laughed and went back to people watching.

* * * * * * *

Isabella might not have been very impressed with the scene Ferb and Vanessa had created, not sitting particularly close to each other on top of the shadowed half-wall that marked the far edge of the commons area outside the gym doors, their feet resting on the cushioned seat people normally used to sit on as they waited for a bus or other form of transportation.

“So, we’ve established that we’re both okay with what happened in there,” Vanessa said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the gym doors.

“Repeatedly,” Ferb said quietly.

Silence fell upon them once again.

After a couple minutes had passed, Vanessa cleared her throat then spoke. “I know about the crush you had on me when we first met,” she blurted awkwardly.

Ferb finally turned his gaze on her in surprise, a slight flush staining his cheeks. “How did you find out? Was I that obvious?”

“A little,” she admitted, looking him in the eye. She smiled. “I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but you weren’t exactly drooling all over me, so I thought it was cute.”

“Wonderful,” Ferb said, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. His face got even redder.

“What made me even less sure was that you didn’t react badly to me telling you about Monty when I asked you and Phineas to plan that Halloween party in my dad’s castle. I guess I just figured you either didn’t have a crush after all or you were already over it. And then I didn’t think about it at all.” She shrugged.

Ferb put his hand back on his thigh as he reopened his eyes narrowly. “So how did you find out now?”

Vanessa hesitated. “Um, well…”

Realization dawned on Ferb. “Buford told you one of the times the two of you spoke.” It was a statement, not a question. “So how much was he laughing?”

“He didn’t,” Vanessa rushed to assure him. “All he said was that you had good taste and that you used to have the biggest crush on me. That’s all.”

“Interesting.” Ferb considered it for a moment then shook his head. “I have a feeling whatever brought up that discussion is likely none of my business, so I won’t ask.”

“I don’t know, maybe it is,” Vanessa said. She bit her lower lip then took a deep breath. “I was feeling jealous when you were caught under the mistletoe with Isabella, although I didn’t understand why at the time. Buford noticed and we had a little talk that ended with his mention of your crush.”

Ferb’s eyes widened slightly. “You _didn’t_ understand? That would suggest you do understand now.”

Vanessa sighed. “I do. You’ve been a wonderful friend since we ran into each other again last semester, and we’ve gotten pretty close since then. I just finally realized how close, at least on my end. The kiss we shared under the mistletoe and what you said beforehand hinted kinda strongly that you might feel the same way, but…” She sighed again. “I don’t want to assume or read too much into it and ruin things between us. You mean too much to me for that.”

Ferb smiled gently. “You mean a great deal to me as well.” He blew out a short breath. “I had a bit of an epiphany myself tonight, quite similar to yours actually. While I was already sure who I would prefer to share a square with should it be spotlighted, it wasn’t until I had a flash of jealousy myself that I realized why. But like you I didn’t wish to jeopardize our close friendship, at least not right away. I was considering testing the waters over the next little while, see if I could detect any possibility of you being open to taking our relationship to another level.”

“But then we got caught in the spotlight.” Vanessa gave a laugh. She scooted over to bump shoulders with him. “I wonder how long we would have danced around each other if that hadn’t happened.”

“Not nearly as long as you’d think. I’ve seen a prime example of what happens when you sacrifice deeper feelings for the safety of a secure, deep friendship for too long to want to go through anything similar myself. I would have spoken to you about it before too much time had passed.” Ferb’s smile grew.

“I think I’m just glad we didn’t go through that.”

Ferb nodded and let his smile relax to one much smaller as he held Vanessa’s gaze for a long, silent moment. “Vanessa, would you do me the honor of dating me?” he finally asked softly.

Vanessa gasped lightly then felt a bright smile light up her features. “The honor would be all mine, Ferb.”

“Thank you,” Ferb whispered just before leaning in to capture her lips with his own. Vanessa returned the kiss full measure.

The new couple slid down onto the seat proper and further into the shadows it provided to continue to explore the newest facet of their relationship with the smallest chance of interruption.

* * * * * * *

Back inside the gym the latest mistletoe round had begun, and five of the original group of friends had gone out to participate. They had been separated, although they were within relatively clear sight of each other. Adyson had also just caught sight of Peter, who was a ways away from the others sharing a square with a girl from one of her drawing classes that she wasn’t very fond of. At least she was pretty sure that was the person sharing his square. She wasn’t happy about it.

She was even less happy when the mistletoe stopped and highlighted the square. The disliked young woman squealed in delight, jumping up and down in her enthusiasm… and Adyson could no longer see what was going on as a circle of onlookers formed around the chosen square. What little she could see between shifting gawkers suggested a pretty enthusiastic kiss being shared by the two parties.

Adyson scowled darkly and crossed her arms over her chest. It shouldn’t matter, it really shouldn’t; she barely knew the guy. But he’d seemed quite interested in her, and the talking they’d been doing prior to the latest round made her think there might be a chance for more than a winter dance fling, even if it probably wouldn’t be anything terribly long term. It hurt to think he’d only been toying with her until he’d found something better.

“That was close.”

Adyson straightened in surprise and let her arms drop to her side. “Peter?” She turned around and found the man in question standing right behind her. “I thought that you’d…” Her voice trailed off as she gestured vaguely toward the area where the crowd was dispersing, the show over.

Peter laughed. “I was afraid of that for a second myself. But it was the square next to mine. The girl seemed pretty excited about it; she nearly jumped on the guy she was with as I slipped away.”

“Didn’t stick around for the show, huh?” Adyson asked with a small smirk, calming her ruffled feathers since she’d apparently been overreacting. She’d have a good laugh at herself later.

“Why should I watch when I might be able to participate?” The shy smile he gave her belied the nonchalant tone.

“I like the way you think,” Adyson said, completely relieved. He really was interested. “Why don’t we slip away and talk some more, maybe figure out if we’ll be putting on a show of our own?”

Peter’s smile widened. “That sounds like an awesome proposition. Lead the way, my lady.” He bowed slightly and gestured toward the gym doors with a sweeping arm.

Adyson, in her ever so forward way, just laughed and grabbed his extended arm before proceeding to pull him off in the direction he’d been pointing. Peter didn’t resist.

* * * * * * *

Phineas, Isabella, Baljeet, and Ginger watched their friend lead the way out into the hallway from where they had gathered at their usual spot on the bleachers. They shared amused looks.

“One of these days she’s going to go all reverse-caveman and club a guy over the head before dragging him off,” Isabella said with a laugh in her voice.

“And hopefully one of us will have a camcorder on hand to memorialize it for the ages,” Ginger added with a wicked grin.

“Is there a Fireside Girl Patch for that?” Baljeet asked slyly.

The other three laughed. “I so have to check my manual tomorrow,” Ginger said.

Phineas gave Isabella a light elbow to the ribs. “Don’t _you_ know?” he asked her. “You were always so on top of the patches you needed.”

Isabella’s eyebrows rose. “And take away the joy of discovery from Ginger? No way.”

“Always the troop leader,” Ginger said with a shake of her head.

“We wouldn’t want her any other way,” Phineas said fondly.

Ginger gave him a speculative look while Isabella blushed slightly, then grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “Come dance with me,” she said, giving the appendage a tug. “I love this song.”

Isabella rolled her eyes. “Someone’s been taking Adyson lessons.” They all laughed.

Before the ladies took more than a step, Ginger looked at the remaining pair. “You guys can come, too, if you want,” she offered. “It would be fun to see what moves you still have.”

“Actually, that sounds fun,” Phineas said. “Let’s go, Baljeet.”

“Oh, all right,” the black-haired young man said with a sigh. The tiny smile that twitched at the corners of his mouth upward spoke of his lack of reluctance, however.

* * * * * * *

The four of them joined the thinning throng and let themselves move to the music. They stayed out after the song finished, talking and laughing as they danced to the next numbers Ezra and Blake dialed up. Before too long, the mistletoe was sent out again, with a reminder that this would be one of the last chances everyone would have as it was getting close to closing time. They all checked their wristbands and separated with one last shared smile.

Phineas was standing in the square that was Isabella’s destination when she wandered her way to the letter-number combination she wore, the redhead looking off in a different direction with curiosity and a smile as he saw the different pairs come together and begin talking with various degrees of shyness and awkwardness. She couldn’t help but double check her wrist to make sure she’d seen it correctly. “Phineas?” she asked once she’d pinched herself as a final test of her sight’s veracity.

He turned to face her with a touch of surprise that quickly changed to delight when she settled in next to him. “Oh, wow, we’re sharing? Cool!”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Isabella replied with a smile of her own. “Do you know where everybody else ended up?”

“Baljeet’s next to the DJ table with a girl a head shorter than him,” Phineas answered, pointing. “They seem to be getting along all right. And Ginger is close to the bleachers, also with a girl who’s a head shorter than her. They’re not getting along as well from what I can see.” He pointed again in the new direction.

“Oh, I think that’s Alice,” Isabella said when her gaze followed the last gesture. “This could end up getting ugly.”

“Alice? As in ‘Oh my gosh, she’s totally trying to sabotage my chemistry lab results at every turn!’ Alice?” Phineas asked.

Isabella nodded. “Yeah, her. The animosity hasn’t faded.”

Phineas cringed. “Yeah, this could be ugly.”

Isabella watched for a moment longer then deliberately turned her back on the image. “Did you see anyone else?”

“Yes and no,” Phineas said with a laugh at the forcefully cheerful tone she’d used. “Gretchen is still sitting the rounds out and sticking close to Blake. Buford and Katie are sitting at the top of the bleachers; that’s the first time I’ve caught sight of them since the last mistletoe round.”

“Gee, I wonder what they’ve been up to,” Isabella said, her tone and grin saying she was more than willing to make a suggestive guess.

“Yeah, I wonder.” A widely grinning Phineas was obviously willing to make the same guess. “Anyway, neither Adyson and Peter nor Ferb and Vanessa have come back yet. We’ll see if they do before the dance is over.”

Isabella giggled then sighed. “Yeah, well, I don’t blame them for taking the opportunity when they had it. I bet they’re having fun.”

Phineas looked at her speculatively. “Or they could be talking things out. I’m not quite as ready to say either pair is just making out like they would be if they were barely in high school, especially Ferb and Vanessa. Making sure each half of the potential couple knows where they both stand and what they both want out of a relationship is pretty important.”

“Oh, I know, and I totally agree,” Isabella said quickly. “Both people should definitely know how each of them feels about the other and a relationship before assuming they know where everything is headed.” She blushed, although she wasn’t entirely sure why. She supposed it could have been that this was the closest she’d come in a very long time to discussing romantic relationships in the abstract – and thus how she would feel about them with someone, say Phineas – with the young man before her. It had always felt like the chance to give herself away was so much greater if she talked about it with him.

“Yeah, talking about feelings and where they’re headed is a good thing,” Phineas said quietly, his expression still speculative. “Vital.”

The conversation died there, Phineas lost in thought as he watched Isabella, and Isabella not willing to take the chance that she’d give her feelings for Phineas away if she kept the topic going. A few silent moments later the mechanical mistletoe clunked to a stop making them both look up just in time to be blinded by the spotlight that turned on to illuminate the square they were standing in. They blinked away the spots in their vision as they brought their heads down to share a surprised look.

Then Phineas smiled. “I’m glad I could share this with you,” he said quietly as Isabella licked her lips nervously, then reached out and placed his left hand on her waist and cupped the side of her head with his right to gently pull her in for a light, lingering kiss.

Mental fireworks went off behind Isabella’s quickly closed eyes as she received something she had fantasized about for years. She kissed back with equal pressure, not willing to try to take it any further, still afraid of scaring Phineas off and destroying the precious friendship she shared with him. Her nerves tingled wherever he touched her, and she knew she would treasure this moment for the rest of her life.

* * * * * * *

Unbeknownst to either one of them, the rest of their friends, including Gretchen, had gathered at the base of the bleachers, kept from catcalling or rushing off to surround them by a recently returned Ferb. “They needed this,” he said intensely. “And they don’t need us interfering. That includes teasing,” here he looked at Buford and Adyson, “and interrogation.” He looked at the former Fireside Girls. He ignored Adyson’s frown at being included in both admonishments. “Let’s just find our seats on the bleachers and let them join us when they’re ready.”

“You take all the fun out of this,” Buford complained half-heartedly.

“You can do all of that later if you truly feel the need,” Ferb said with a tiny smile. “Just give them a chance to establish something to really tease and interrogate them about.”

“You’re as awful as Phineas,” Vanessa said with a chuckle.

“We _are_ brothers.” A hint of impishness blossomed in Ferb’s smile.

The others laughed as they trooped up the bleachers and sat in a group near the top.

* * * * * * *

There wasn’t a single thought being spared for their friends as Phineas and Isabella finally separated and met each other’s gaze. Phineas let the hand that had been cupping the side of Isabella’s head slip back down to his side and smiled fondly. Isabella, on the other hand, struggled a bit wide-eyed to keep her composure and control both her breathing and her heartbeat.

A long moment later, the young woman spoke. “That was… very nice,” she said softly and a bit shyly.

Phineas nodded. “I liked it, too. I think it even answered some questions I had.”

“Questions?” Isabella asked, confused.

“Yeah.” He looked around and frowned slightly in thought, then let his expression clear as he looked back at Isabella. “Would you mind going somewhere private to talk?”

“Oh! Well, sure, that would be fine.” Isabella’s response tumbled over itself as she said it and she wanted to kick herself.

Phineas smiled. “Great. Why don’t we try this way?” He pointed toward one of the doors behind the DJs.

Isabella nodded. “Lead on.” She did her best to just shake off the embarrassment she was feeling and follow her favorite redhead.

The two of them walked silently through a maze of hallways and eventually ended up in the middle of the physical education department’s offices. Phineas lowered himself to the floor and leaned back against one of the doors, the top of his head just peeking past the bottom of the frosted window that hid the contents of the office behind it. He gave a vague gesture. “Pull up a seat anywhere,” he said with a half-smile. “There’s plenty of room.”

“So I see,” Isabella replied with a short giggle, then sat down against the door opposite him. “So what did you want to talk about?” She figured there was no point to beating around the bush. Whatever he had to say had something to do with the kiss they’d shared, and it was probably best to face whatever that was head on, even if she’d end up disappointed with the results.

“I noticed something about myself tonight that I’d never noticed before, and it made me start to wonder,” Phineas began calmly. “You caught my eye a lot, more than anyone else here whether I knew them or not. My gaze would linger on you without thinking about it, and I’d take note of little details about your appearance, or the tone of your voice, or the way you were walking… and so on and so on. But I didn’t even realize I was doing it until Ferb asked me if there was someone I’d prefer to be paired with under the mistletoe and then I heard you laugh. You were standing with Katie and laughing at Ferb’s and my predicament and I kept staring longer than necessary. I asked myself why; I let myself mull over the question in the back of my mind through the rest of the night.”

He paused there and began to fidget slightly. “I have to admit to something here, though,” he said awkwardly. “The last few times I danced with you, I used the chance to really look at how I felt when I was in such close proximity to you, if I felt any different than any other time I was with you and if the intimacy affected anything. I still enjoyed myself, I really did,” he continued quickly, “but my original intentions weren’t entirely altruistic. I’m really sorry about that.”

Isabella was silent, her eyes almost impossibly wide as she needed to remind herself to breathe every now and again. Was Phineas admitting what she thought he was admitting? Was he saying that he was trying to figure out if he might be romantically attracted to her? She discreetly pinched herself and replayed his last statement in her head as guilt started to seriously transform his expression. “Um, no, no, that’s fine,” she finally said a bit distantly, feeling a little overwhelmed by the turn of events. “You had some things to work out, and I never felt like you were treating me differently.” Obviously, considering how blindsided she felt by the conversation.

Phineas blew out a breath of relief. “Thanks, Isabella. That’s one of the special things about you, how understanding you are. You know me so well.” He smiled fondly.

“Yeah, well, I’ve had a lot of time to piece it together.” She returned his expression with a slightly shaky one of her own. “So, um, did you come to any conclusions?” She winced internally when her voice cracked on the last word.

“Nothing concrete,” Phineas admitted with a little shrug. “But I think I’m ready to take the next step.” He took a deep breath and let his gaze drop to his lap. “I don’t know if you’ve ever thought of us that way, of course, but maybe… I mean, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, I just needed to figure things out.”

“No, no, I’m not uncomfortable,” Isabella said quickly, shaking herself out of her shock. “And I’ll admit the thought has crossed my mind a time or two… about us getting together… maybe…” She wasn’t about to mention the detailed wedding plans she had written and rewritten out any number of times over the years when she let herself daydream about such things. That would probably freak him out a bit.

Phineas brought his head up again and smiled brightly. “That’s good to hear.” He gave a small chuckle and shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to wreck our friendship over this, but I think if we do this right we can just add another layer to it, a more intimate one. That would be something special, don’t you think?”

Isabella swallowed nervously. “Yeah, I do,” she agreed softly. She blew out a little breath through pursed lips. “So does this mean you’re asking me out?”

Phineas’ smile grew gentle and tender. “I suppose it does. Would you be willing to take that next step with me and start dating? We can sort out our feelings for each other together.”

“That would be wonderful,” Isabella whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. “That would be absolutely wonderful.”

“Are you really okay with this?” Phineas asked, concerned at the tears. “We don’t have to…”

Isabella interrupted him with a choked laugh. “I am more okay with this than you’ll ever know, Phineas. I promise.” She sighed and smiled. “These are happy tears.”

Phineas crawled over to sit next to her. “Happy tears are good.” He slowly put an arm around her shoulders and smiled when she leaned into him at the invitation. “I can deal with those.”

Isabella sighed again. “I should tell you the thought of getting together with you has crossed my mind a lot more times than just a few to be honest,” she murmured, draping an arm over his stomach. “Maybe some daydreams, too.”

“Really?” Phineas asked, surprised. “You never said anything.”

“You never seemed interested in that kind of relationship. Not with anybody,” Isabella said. “I didn’t want to make things awkward between us.”

“Oh, wow,” Phineas replied. He considered it. “I guess I can understand that. I _wasn’t_ interested, not until tonight. And I still don’t know just how interested I’m going to be in the long run.”

Isabella nodded against his chest. “I understand. And as of right now I’m okay with however this turns out. Our friendship is important to me, too.”

Phineas laid his head against the top of hers. “With that thought so important to both of us, I think we’ll do just fine, no matter what.”

“Yeah,” Isabella whispered. She pulled her head back to look him in the eyes. “We’ll be just fine.”

“Yeah.” Phineas smiled again and searched her eyes, then leaned down and kissed her, enjoying how she melted into it and returned it with passion. It encouraged him to continue.

“We should get back to the gym,” Isabella said between kisses a few minutes later.

Phineas nodded in the middle of another kiss. “We should,” he whispered and kissed her again.

“Our friends will be missing us,” Isabella murmured another few minutes later.

“We’re going to get teased,” Phineas added softly.

“I’m going to get interrogated.”

“Buford’s going to have a field day with me.”

Isabella groaned, only partially because of the tight squeeze Phineas gave her. “I do not want to get caught alone with Adyson,” she said.

Phineas chuckled against her lips. “I don’t have a choice with Ferb. We share a bedroom at the house, remember?”

They finally pulled apart and smiled at each other. “We’re doomed,” Isabella said.

“Oh, yeah,” Phineas agreed.

They both sighed. “We better just get this over with,” Isabella said reluctantly.

“I really shouldn’t miss the end of the dance and the game,” Phineas said with just as much reluctance. After a beat he blew out a breath and shook off the mood. “Come on, let’s get back to the party. There’s more fun to be had.” He pushed himself to his feet and offered her a hand up.

“I suppose you’re right,” Isabella said as she accepted his offer. She brushed herself off and ran her fingers through her hair to make sure it wasn’t too much out of place.

Phineas gave her a grin and offered an arm, then the two of them headed back the way they came.

* * * * * * *

“There they are!” Ginger nearly shouted when she caught sight of Phineas and Isabella reentering the gym through the door they’d left earlier.

“You don’t have to announce it to the whole gym,” Katie told her, smacking the other young woman’s arm.

“They are not holding hands or smiling at one another,” Baljeet said, disappointed.

Ferb shook his head as Vanessa chuckled. “I’m not sure I’d come walking in being that obvious around you guys either,” the graduate student said wryly.

Buford smirked and pointed. “They _are_ walking pretty close to each other,” he commented.

“They do that all the time,” Katie said. “They always have.”

“It most likely has something to do with them being best friends,” Ferb added.

“I still think something happened between them,” Adyson insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Isabella is _glowing_.”

All of them were surprised and a little disappointed when the scrutinized pair stopped just out of earshot of the bleachers and started dancing to a slow song that had started just beforehand. “Now that’s just not fair,” Buford groused, frowning.

Baljeet looked at him with a disapproving expression. “Perhaps not, but it is their choice.” He turned his gaze to Ginger. “I also believe it is an excellent idea. Would you like to join them?”

Ginger laughed and nodded. “I’d love to.” She took the hand he offered and the two of them made their way down to the dance floor.

“Let’s do that, too,” Katie said, standing up and tugging on Buford’s arm. “I don’t want you to sit here and mope.”

“Fine,” Buford grumbled, pushing himself to his feet. “I’ll just have to get them later.”

“Yeah, it’s not like you live with them or anything,” Adyson quipped, grinning.

Buford shot her a narrow-eyed look. “Quiet, you.”

Katie rolled her eyes and tugged again. “No, quiet _you_. Let’s go.” She successfully pulled him down the bleachers and into the swaying crowd of college students.

“They make such a cute couple,” Gretchen murmured, her small smile a touch on the wicked side.

“Which pair?” Adyson asked, standing up with Peter.

“Both, really,” Gretchen replied. “But I suppose I was talking about Katie and Buford. I never saw that coming at all.”

Adyson snickered. “No one did. And they’ll never live that down.” She looked at her companion. “Shall we sway with the rest of that bunch out there?”

Peter smiled. “That sounds pretty good. Let’s do it.” The two of them headed down.

Vanessa looked at Gretchen. “Are you really going to spend the rest of the night over here instead of at the DJ table?” she asked.

“Blake said he and Ezra had to start wrapping things up since the dance is almost over,” Gretchen explained. “He wouldn’t be able to give me much attention, and he didn’t think that would be fair.” She blushed. “He did invite me to stay afterward, though. He said he didn’t want me to slip away without saying goodbye properly.”

“Well, well, well,” Vanessa said with a suggestive rise of her eyebrows. “Aren’t we the lucky one tonight?”

“I’m obviously not the only one who received a gracious amount of luck this evening,” Gretchen shot back, blushing even more. 

Vanessa turned toward Ferb sitting to her left, who returned the look with raised eyebrows of his own. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. It’s been a good night all around, I think.”

Ferb placed his right arm around her shoulders. “I agree wholeheartedly,” he said.

“Do you believe that about Phineas and Isabella as well?” Gretchen asked.

“Whether or not Isabella is actually glowing, she isn’t upset in any way,” Ferb said. “In fact, she pulled on Phineas’ arm to stop him while they were coming this way and was most likely the one who suggested dancing instead of joining us. If Phineas had said anything to her that included rejection or even maintaining the status quo, she would be devastated. And I don’t believe she would be able to hide it to this extent.”

Gretchen looked out to where Isabella was dancing with Phineas, her arms looped around his neck and her body pressed quite close to his. Phineas had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and their noses were almost touching. And they were both smiling softly at one another. “I see your point,” she conceded easily.

A few silent moments went by before Gretchen turned once again to the couple she was sitting near. “Aren’t you going to share the dance?” she asked. “I’ll be fine here by myself for a song or two if that’s what’s concerning you.”

Ferb and Vanessa shared a look. “We’re fine sitting this one out,” Ferb said with a tiny smile.

“Besides, the song is at least half over,” Vanessa added. “It wouldn’t be worth the effort, and we can sway together right here if we really feel the urge.”

“Oh, we’d have to be careful doing that here,” Ferb said cautiously, his expression becoming serious. “One lean too far and we’ll end up tumbling all the way to the bottom. Bodies and egos could end up quite damaged.”

The two ladies snickered at the subtle humor. “Not to mention how unfair it would be not to include Gretchen,” Vanessa said, struggling to wipe her amusement from her face. “And a three-way sway is just so scandalous.”

Ferb’s tiny smile returned. “Quite right,” he said with a nod. “We’ll have to simply sit sedately and await our friends’ return. It would only be proper.”

“And proper is the only way to be,” Gretchen said, schooling her features into something prim and haughty as she straightened her posture, folded her hands in her lap, and crossed her ankles.

“Most certainly,” Vanessa agreed, mimicking Gretchen’s stance as Ferb did the same.

It only took a few beats for the three of them to break down into laughter.

* * * * * * *

The trio had only just gotten over their fit of the giggles when the rest of their party rejoined them at the top of the bleachers, Phineas and Isabella in tow.

“Decided to finally face the music, did you?” Vanessa asked the last pair as they sat down next to her.

“We knew we couldn’t put it off forever,” Isabella said wryly, smiling.

“No matter how much we wanted to,” Phineas added with a wide grin.

Adyson gasped and brought a hand to her chest in mock offense. “And what did we ever do to make you feel that way?” she asked. The upward twitching of the corners of her mouth ruined the innocent image she was trying to project.

The others laughed. “I don’t actually have to answer that, do I?” Isabella shot back through her giggles.

Adyson gave up the pose and shrugged. “No, not really. So what happened while you two hid yourself away from prying eyes?” She grinned wickedly. “Or should we just guess?”

“No guessing,” Phineas said quickly. “We talked. We agreed to start dating so we can sort out our feelings for each other. That’s it in a nutshell.”

“And there may have been some kissing involved, but I’m not saying any more than that,” Isabella added.

Ginger leaned forward and met her gaze. “Later?” she mouthed.

Isabella smirked. “Probably,” she mouthed back.

Phineas was looking at Buford. “So when does the teasing start?”

“Teasing? What makes you think there’ll be teasing?” the muscular young man asked, his attempt at innocence about as successful as Adyson’s had been.

“Only the fact that you have prided yourself on being a bully for the majority of the time we have known you,” Baljeet said before Phineas could.

“Well, true, but I haven’t done that since we got to college,” Buford protested. “I could have changed.”

Every last one of the others, even Peter, stared at him incredulously.

Buford frowned. “What? I could have!”

The others still stared.

“I’m waiting to hear more details,” he finally admitted, frowning. “Then it’s gonna get good.”

“Yeah, that’s what I expected,” Phineas said with a chuckle. He reached over and took Isabella’s hand. “I suppose it’s worth it in the long run.”

“That’s so cute,” Katie said, grinning. Without changing expression, she elbowed Buford in the ribs when she heard him make a low gagging noise.

Phineas shook his head at the sight then looked at his brother. “And what about you?”

Ferb gazed back blankly. “I have time later to satisfy my curiosity and take whatever other action I deem appropriate. I can be patient.”

“You’re just a little bit evil,” Ginger said to him, staring at him with wide eyes.

“You didn’t realize that before now?” Adyson asked. “It’s one of the things we like best about him.”

“Definitely,” Vanessa agreed, and gave her new boyfriend a wicked smirk.

“You’re all very strange,” Peter commented, looking a bit unsure of himself.

Adyson laughed. “You’ll get used to us. You might even grow to enjoy it.”

They all joined in the laughter as the song that had been playing came to an end. A beat later, a click echoed from the speakers and the sound of a breath being taken could be heard. “All right, ladies and gentlemen, time for the last round of Mistletoe Madness before we wind down with the last couple of songs of the night,” Ezra announced as he activated the grid and the mechanical mistletoe. “Everyone check your wristbands and get out on the floor for your last chance at a Christmas kiss!”

The majority of the thinned-out crowd did just that, pairing up in the light-lined squares. On the bleachers, none of the old friends made any moves to join in.

“Really?” Adyson asked, looking around at the others. “No one’s doing it one last time?”

“I don’t need to,” Ferb said simply. He turned to Vanessa and kissed her briefly.

“The last time was enough for me,” Phineas agreed, giving Isabella’s hand a squeeze as he spoke. “Someone else can have a chance.”

Gretchen gestured toward the DJ table. “I got what I wanted.”

Ginger grinned at Baljeet. “So did I,” she said softly.

Buford made another gagging noise that was cut off by another elbow to the ribs. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said before snatching Katie from the seat next to him and planting her on his lap. “I’m real good. How about you?” he asked the young woman sitting on his legs.

“I’m just fine,” she said with a smirk. She leaned in and kissed him thoroughly. “I’m more than fine,” she whispered when she was finished.

“Me too,” Buford whispered back, smiling.

“You don’t want a last chance at another kiss, do you?” Peter asked Adyson.

She turned to face him. “Well, yeah, actually I do.” She grinned when he looked taken aback by her answer. “But I can get it right here.” She quickly leaned forward and captured his lips with her own. After a moment of surprise he returned it wholeheartedly.

Isabella chuckled. “Adyson can be so dramatic,” she said. She laughed louder when Adyson waved her off without stopping what she was doing.

They all ended up watching as a square was randomly chosen and the pair standing there shyly kissed. When the spotlight shut down and the music started up again, the majority of the crowd began to drift away with the knowledge that the dance was about to end. The group of friends on the bleachers decided to take advantage of the nearly empty gym floor to get in one more good slow dance, each couple with more than enough room to themselves while still maintaining their camaraderie. Blake even came out and kept Gretchen from having to sit and watch alone.

They all danced through the last song of the night, not letting go of one another until the gym lights came up to mark the official end of the dance. They’d all had a wonderful time and hated to see it end.

“Will you wait for me?” Phineas asked Isabella as the last of the people that weren’t part of their circle of friends departed. “Ferb and I have to take down everything and make sure there hasn’t been any damage.”

“Of course,” Isabella told him, smiling.

“I’ll keep her company,” Vanessa said as she joined them. “Ferb offered to be my ride home since the rest of the group I came with already slipped out without saying goodbye.”

Gretchen and Peter joined them as well, Blake walking back to Ezra and the table of DJ equipment while Adyson hurried out to do a final tally and take care of the money and paperwork for the IT Club. “Do you mind if we sit with you as well? Blake asked me to stay until he was done, and Adyson is in charge of wrapping things up for the club.”

Vanessa and Isabella gave her a welcoming smile. “Of course,” Isabella said. “The more the merrier.”

Phineas waved the rest of his friends over. “I’ve got an idea, if everyone’s up for it,” he said once they’d all gathered. “Why don’t we all go over to Honey’s Place together for an after-dance afterglow and midnight snack? I know I’m not quite ready to head home and crash yet.” He looked over at Blake and Ezra. “You guys are welcome to join us, too. It’ll be fun.”

“I’m in,” Blake said quickly, looking at Gretchen. Ezra laughed and added his affirmation.

“Then we should make quick work of this,” Ferb said to Phineas once the others had also agreed to the plan. The redhead grinned and nodded his agreement.

The gym clean up and IT Club accounting were taken care of without much delay, and it wasn’t long before the large group was heading out to their favorite twenty-four hour restaurant together. They laughed and joked, filled with an inner warmth that easily combatted the cold outside. With one last look at the dance poster posted outside the main doors, they all realized just how much of a success the event had been. They had all definitely celebrated the romance of the season and discovered the passion of the holidays. Even better, they knew they’d be holding onto those feelings and carrying them into the future together.

What a magical end to a magical evening.


End file.
